


Meet You There

by clobrandwell



Category: The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Genre: Benny's stupid cowboy hat, Beth Hamon deserves love, Chess, Eventual Romance, Multi, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27541663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clobrandwell/pseuds/clobrandwell
Summary: Lou Benson wasn't a chess prodigy, in fact, she'd barely known the names of the pieces. But her adopted cousin certainly was, and Beth Harmon would one day become something the world would never forget.Meeting the current US Champion was part of the journey Beth was making toward taking his title and eventually the World Championship, and Lou making his acquaintance was at first just collateral of that. Until it wasn't just about chance meetings during tournaments, and Benny Watts became a permanent fixture of Lou's life.
Relationships: Benny Watts/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 146





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, like a lot of people, I've fallen into a TQG hole, and somehow fell for yet another tbs character, go figure.  
> I did not have the patience to wait until this fandom got plenished, so here I am, contributing to it myself.
> 
> this was first posted on wattpad, and after some requests, I've decided to publish it here, even though it makes me nervous bc there are no oc stories in this category, but then again, starved fandom. 
> 
> i'll leave the link for the story there in the endnotes just in case anyone wants to check out the cast or trailer sz (i'm lowkey proud of it so i need to show it off)

**SOME PEOPLE** said Lou needed a life, and that books were not the object of fascination of _proper_ girls.

They said that if she wanted a husband, eventually a troop of children, along with a nice suburban house, she should ditch the paper and grab a curling iron, but Lou didn't want all of that.

Well, she did want to get married, one day, but Lou would rather remain a spinster with two dozen cats for the rest of her life rather than give up her passion for a man. Lou would only down a veil and wear a ring for someone that loved her enough to understand her love for books.

And Lou did want children, but one, _maybe_ two. She had her fair share of experience handling more than three children at the same time thanks to her family, and Lou was not eager to have that as her daily life, even if she did love her cousins.

The suburban house she wasn't sure about yet, but that was a question for another day, and Lou wasn't one to plan _that_ far ahead.

So, no, Lou would not be getting rid of her precious books so she'd snag a husband. She was twenty, for Christ's sake! Sure, plenty of her classmates from high school had tied the knot with their sweethearts straight from graduation, but many had not, and Lou was one of them.

If all went to shit and no one wanted to marry her because she was a bibliophile, then Lou would be glad to get married to an Austen man. Not Mr. Darcy, he was a bit too surly and stiff for her, but she'd take Mr. Knightly, or Mr. Bingley, either was fine. She wouldn't touch Mr. Ferras with a ten feet pole though, Lou wasn't one to forgive a secret engagement to another woman.

Could she even get married to a fictional character? Lou wasn't sure, but who would stop her?

Certainly not Austen, and Lou had an inkling the woman would've supported her decision, given her own life choices.

Lou didn't voice these things out loud though, neither the not wanting to get married to a douche, nor the possible matrimony to someone that did not exist. The first one was known to those close to her, of course, because no one could know Lou and think the girl would ever give up a single copy of a book in order to appease someone else, but to acquaintances and the tittering old ladies at the diner? Lou smiled and nodded, all their words entering one ear and going out the other.

The second one was simply because people would look at her weird, but her family also knew that tidbit of information, if her declaration at ten years old that everyone was required to call her Mrs. Darcy was any indication.

She might not be as fond of Mr. Darcy nowadays, but when little Lou first heard the story told by her mother before bedtime, she'd been in love.

Lou had also seen firsthand that it was possible for a man to be in love with a woman that liked to read like she did, as exemplified by her own parents, and that knowledge made it impossible for her to settle for anything else.

Her father had always listened to her mother ramble on about a book, he'd heard all of her complaints, praises and laments about characters and stories, and read the things she herself wrote, even though he couldn't tell the difference between prose and poetry.

Lou might be called silly, or a fool for it, but she wanted something like that for herself.

She didn't need someone who loved books as much as her, in fact, it'd be preferable if they didn't, if only because the only men she'd ever seen share her level of interest were a bit insufferable.

All she wanted was someone that understood her, who maybe had the same desire as her to have someone that loved them quirks and all, who'd she listen to go on about whatever their heart desired no matter her own interest in it, just because it made them happy.

Lou would either have that or nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.wattpad.com/story/247105686-meet-you-there-benny-watts


	2. Chapter one

**FAMILY WAS** something beyond precious to Lou Benson.

Her mother's side was full of life and cheer, with three aunts and one uncle, not to mention her grandmother. It made the absence of her mother all the more glaring, but she'd always had the love and support of those closest to her, and Lou was never alone for any of it.

Being some states away from most of them was a sacrifice, but one Lou was encouraged to make so she could achieve her dreams. And no one argued with Nonna when she set her mind to something.

Out of the grandchildren, she was the oldest, and her five cousins, three under the age of four, were something of a handful, but a handful Lou was more than glad to have.

Her father's side was another story, she could count them in one hand, or rather, one finger. At least, until recently.

Her only aunt, her father's younger sister, Alma, had married what her family would describe as a _brutto figlio di puttana bastardo,_ which suffice to say was a less than polite way of addressing someone. The man, one Mr. Wheatley, didn't like his brother-in-law's extended family, which meant cutting his wife from her only family.

Lou wasn't one for swearing, a dichotomy when presented with the many mouths that needed to be washed out with soap in her family, but to Mr. Wheatley, she opened an exception.

That meant she wasn't too surprised when her dear aunt Alma, who Lou hadn't heard from or seen since her parent's funeral, called her to say Mr. Wheatley had left her.

What did surprise Lou, however, was that Alma hadn't been exactly left alone.

She'd adopted a young orphaned girl, one that if going by Alma's praises of her, was something of a chess prodigy.

Elizabeth was her name, but she liked to be called Beth. She'd won a one hundred dollar prize in a tournament, a considerable amount of money for such a young girl to make.

After hearing her aunt talk for just under half an hour, Lou interrupted her.

"I'd like to meet her, if that's alright with you, Aunt Alma."

Lou was no fool, no matter what other people might think. Her aunt was making contact after almost ten years, and you did not need to be a genius to hear the hesitation in her voice. So, Lou made things easy for her.

"That would be lovely, dear."

With an address in hand and a bus ticket to Lexington, Lou was packing just a few hours after ending the call.

**°°°**

Lou could barely contain her excitement as she rang the doorbell, nervously biting her lip as she waited.

"Lucilla!" Came the exclamation as the door opened.

Without a care, the young woman jumped forward to embrace her aunt, catching her by surprise. It took a few seconds for arms to come around Lou, but when they did, she was promptly squeezed.

"How you've grown!" Alma was smiling at her, holding her at arm's length after letting go of the hug, looking over Lou.

"It's been a while, it'd be weird if I hadn't grown," Lou said, taking that moment to analyze her aunt.

Alma looked tired, there were bags under her eyes, and the makeup didn't hide the paleness of her skin. She couldn't say if she'd lost weight or not, it'd been too long for Lou to remember, but Alma seemed to be hanging off her blouse a bit. But what gave Lou hope was that her aunt's eyes were bright, and her smile was genuine.

"Come in, I want you to meet Beth."

Lou grabbed her small suitcase, just enough clothes for one weekend(she had work and classes on Monday, after all), and entered the house.

She'd never been here, Alma and Mr. Wheatley had always been the ones to visit, and ever since Lou had gone into the care of her mother's family, she'd been too far away to come, not that Mr. Wheatley would've wanted her here either way.

Nowadays she was just a bus ride away, but before Alma had called her, Lou didn't have the courage to come knocking, lest she'd been turned away.

The decore of the living room was a bit outdated, but the colors were bright, and it gave a comfortable feeling. There was a piano on the far corner, right in front of the window that saw the front of the house, and it made Lou smile, her aunt had always been a fantastic pianist, even indulging little five-year-old Lou on some songs, and enduring the absolute travesty that she created.

On one of the armchairs sat a girl, no more than fifteen years old, with bright auburn locks styled in a very short length and even shorter bangs. She was looking at Lou, and quickly got up as she and Alma made their way into the living room.

"Beth, this is my niece, Lucilla."

Beth extended her hand toward her, and even though Lou wanted to pull her into a hug, she didn't want to overwhelm the girl.

"Please call me Lou," she told her as they shook their hands.

Beth nodded, a smile so minuscule upon her lips that Lou actually didn't know if it classified as one. It brought to mind Monalisa's smile, Lou had no idea what was going on inside the girl's mind. "Nice to meet you, Lou."

The atmosphere was a bit stifled, and Alma had gone into the kitchen, most likely to get something for them to drink.

"So, aunt Alma tells me you're a chess genius," Lou said after sitting down, her on the couch and Beth back on the armchair.

Beth tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away from Lou. "I won every game in my first tournament."

Her posture was shy, but her words were firm and confident.

"Congratulations. I'll be honest with you, I barely know the piece movements, but I do know it takes a lot of brains to be good at it."

Beth gave her a smile, an _actual_ smile, making Lou smile back.

"There's going to be another tournament in Cincinnati in a few weeks," Beth said, now making eye contact with Lou.

"Oh, really? We can meet up again then." Lou gave her a grin, excitement flowing through her. "I'd invite you two to stay with me, but I have a roommate."

"There is no need for that anyway," Alma piped in as she returned, a tray with two glasses of coke and a beer in hand. "I've booked us a lovely room in a hotel."

Lou took the coke, Beth doing the same, and Alma sat down next to Lou.

"You'll go see Beth play, won't you?" Alma asked.

Lou glanced at Beth, not wanting to say yes and make her uncomfortable, but Beth was giving her an expectant look. "Of course I will."

"It's in two weeks, I'll write you the time and date, and maybe we can all go for dinner after Beth wins."

Lou smiled as her aunt excitedly told her about the tournament, and about the nice place she booked. Her aunt looked alive, more than Lou ever remembered her being. She remembered vaguely about the last few times she saw her aunt, how she'd been pregnant, and how neither Lou nor anyone else had ever met the baby.

Alma became secluded after that, not completely of her own volition from what Lou knew. The last contact they'd had was her attendance Lou's parent's funeral, until now, that is.

Lou couldn't help but wonder if her aunt would've had the will force to reach out if Beth hadn't come into her life, if her aunt would've even managed to go on.

She didn't know the answer to that, but she was glad she would never have to find out.

**°°°**

The couch was a bit uncomfortable, but Lou had slept on harder surfaces before.

What made sleep avoid her the most though, was the faint light coming from the window, which had see-through curtains that did little to shield the brightness.

After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only half an hour, Lou got up, making her way to the kitchen.

It was unfamiliar to her, but it didn't take long for her to find the cupboard where glasses were kept, and milk was the first thing she saw when she opened the fridge. Honey was harder to find, she looked in almost all of the cupboards before finding the little jar.

Finding a pan, she poured milk into it and turned on the stove. Just as it became warm, Lou heard footsteps behind her.

"Can't sleep?"

She took the pan out of the heat, placing it upon the cold counter, and turned to find Beth.

The girl shook her head, and Lou gave her a gentle smile.

"Me neither." Lou had accidentally warmed too much milk, so as she poured one glass, she glanced inquisitively at Beth. "Do you want some?"

"Warm milk?" Beth's voice was skeptical, a slight raise of her brow.

"Warm milk with honey," Lou answered. Now that she knew her cousin had never had one of those before, she grabbed another glass, filling it with the leftover milk in the pan. "It always helps me fall asleep."

She grabbed the honey jar, scooping two spoonfuls into each glass, mixing it until the honey dissolved a bit. Lou placed one of the glasses in front of Beth.

"Try it."

Beth sipped the concoction, and Lou stared at her in anticipation.

Beth smiled softly, nodding. "It's good."

Lou returned the smile and went to set the honey back where it belonged, and the pan in the sink, which she quickly washed and placed on the drying rack.

"My mom always made it for me when I was little," Lou reminisced, her own glass nestle between her hands. "It never failed to make me sleepy."

"Is she Mrs. Wheetley's sister?"

Lou shook her head. "My dad was aunt Alma's older brother."

A look of comprehension crossed Beth's face as she registered the past tense of the phrase.

"My mom does have sisters, three of them, and one brother," Lou commented, finding amusement in how Beth's eyes widened. "You're my sixth cousin, and older than all of the others, if I'm not mistaken."

"You have five cousins?"

"Yep, three little rascals, one moody pre-teen, and a teenager."

"Wow," Beth said, glancing at her drink. "That's a big family."

Lou hummed, sipping her milk. "I think you'd get along with Ellie. She's a smart cookie, and I think she'd love learning about chess," she said. "Not playing though, I'm not sure she has the patience."

"She's the teenager?"

"Yes, she'll be fifteen next year."

"Oh, she's older than me then," Beth mumbled.

"Aren't you from 1948?" Lou asked, furrowing her brows.

Beth's eyes widened, and her gaze snapped toward Lou. "How do you know that?"

"Aunt Alma told me," Lou answered.

"She did?"

"Yes."

Beth bit her bottom lip, glancing at her glass. "Mrs. Deodorff told me to say I was thirteen."

Lou had to reign in her expression at that admission. She understood that younger children were probably more coveted by prospective adoptive parents, but lying about her age was useless, since aunt Alma got her birth certificate when she brought Beth home.

"Well, you're not, and that's perfectly fine." Lou wanted to say more, but she didn't think it was her place, at least, not yet. "Either way, Ellie will probably come to my graduation in a few years, so you'll meet her then."

"Your graduation?"

"I'm an English major at the University of Cincinnati, currently two years away from my diploma."

"Two years... Isn't it a bit early to invite me?"

Lou tilted her head. "No? I expect all of my family to attend, it's the same thing with my wedding, I'm as single as they come but everyone can already count themselves invited."

Beth was looking at Lou with an unreadable expression, and as Lou was beginning to figure out, most of Beth's emotions couldn't be read on her face very easily. But then she smiled softly, nodding her head.

"I'll mark my calendar, then."

**°°°**

The weekend spent with her aunt and cousin was a nice change to her routine, Lou managed to get to know Beth more, having her guide her through the basics of chess, which Lou was thankful for since she doubts it was very entertaining for the girl. She also figured out Beth was rather fond of fashion, a few magazines peaking through her arsenal of chess literature, and Lou told her she'd be taking Beth out for some shopping in Cincinnati.

She'd had a few conversations with her aunt, mostly about how her life had gone after moving from Cincinnati to stay with her grandmother in New York City.

Alma had lamented being absent from Lou's life, but the young woman didn't want her to feel bad about it, at the time everything happened Lou might've not comprehended, having been only thirteen, but she now had the understanding that her aunt's situation wasn't in her control, and taking care of a teenager when her husband didn't like Lou and she'd just lost a child wouldn't have been easy on Alma.

And besides, Lou had enjoyed living in New York, so much so she hoped to return after completing her studies if only to be close to most of her family.

Saying goodbye to her aunt and Beth was bittersweet, but the promise that they'd see each other soon soothed that feeling.

She hugged her aunt, and as she let go, ready to extend her hand to Beth, she thought about it and decided to pull the girl into a hug.

Beth tensed under her hold, and Lou was about to let her go when she felt arms circle around her, and Beth relaxed.

"Welcome to the family, Beth," Lou whispered, hugging her tightly.

Beth didn't say anything as Lou let her go, but she'd hugged Lou back, and that was all that was needed.

Lou waved at them as her cab drove away, and couldn't help her smile at the thought of what awaited in a few weeks.


	3. Chapter two

**LOU HAD THE** displeasure of waking up to her roommate loudly entering their shared apartment.

The two-bedroom place was a cheap one that Lou had managed to snag when first arriving in the city, thanks to an old acquaintance of her father's that knew about the tenant free place. She'd decided on a roommate after a few months, not liking living alone, and halving the rent gave Lou a nice monthly saving.

Donna was a nice girl, differently from Lou, who had lived only in big cities, Donna came from a small town in Indiana, and it could be said she was enjoying her college experience to the fullest.

It wasn't often that she was loud when returning home, but it did happen on occasion, and today was one of those days.

Lou got up, a quick glance toward her clock showed the time of six am, a bit early for her since she only had afternoon classes, and her shift at the diner only began at eight, but she wouldn't able to return to sleep.

In the living room, Donna was currently using the couch for support as she took off her heels, encountering a bit of trouble since they were high boots.

"Do you need help?"

Donna got startled and almost fell to the ground as the first of the boots came off, but managed to stabilize herself. "Lou! Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

Lou shook her head, dismissing her worry. "It's fine, I had to get up anyway."

Donna sat on the sofa, hugging the boot she'd taken off to her chest like a child would a plushie, and Lou sat next to her. Lou saw the zipper and sighed, simply unzipping it.

"There. You would've had a much easier time if you remembered the zipper."

Donna's eyes widened, and she lifted her leg, staring at her stock clad feet. "You're a genius, Lou."

Lou fought her amusement. "No, I'm just sober."

"You should've come with me yesterday, it was so much fun!"

"I have work today at eight."

Donna pouted at her, dropping the boot that had been in her grasp to cross her arms. "Do you love your job more than me?"

Lou laughed, shaking her head. "No, but I do love money more than you."

"So mean!"

Lou grabbed Donna by the arms and helped her get up, supporting the taller girl as she stumble to her room, where Lou placed Donna on her bed, and the blonde was asleep before her even head hit the pillow, still dressed in her mini dress and with a face full of makeup that would probably make her resemble a raccoon once she woke up.

She closed the door without a care for how loud it was, for nothing short of screaming into Donna's ear would wake her, and made her way into the kitchen.

A quick cup of coffee to get her day jumpstarted, along with a muffin that Donna had baked in her class on the previous day. Lou wouldn't lie and say she didn't take Donna's major of culinary into account when choosing between roommate candidates, because it was the deciding factor between the blonde and a girl studying mathematics.

Sometimes Lou wondered if she made the wrong choice, or if maybe the math girl would've also been one to party all night and come back stumbling and smelling of alcohol and marijuana.

After a bite into the muffin, Lou decided it didn't matter.

She grabbed one of the books that were sitting upon the coffee table, smiling when noticing it was her worn but still in good condition copy of _Emma_. It was her favorite work by Austen, the close second being Pride and Prejudice, but to Lou, nothing could beat the humor that could be found in the work.

It was subtle, sometimes overlooked, but when you've read it as many times as Lou had, she knew every beat of it.

The comfort of a warm beverage, a tasty pastry, and a good book was akin to little else to Lou, only time with her family rivaled it.

It was a nice start to her morning, one that usually predated an ever nicer day, and Lou was a little glad for Donna having been as drunk as she had.

Just a little though, she really hoped the girl didn't wake up to throw up in their shared bathroom.

**°°°**

Morning shifts at Rosie's Diner were oddly calm, save for the flurry of students that ordered the biggest size of black coffee they had before leaving hurriedly.

People that actually sat to eat were far in between, and they were usually regulars who didn't even order since Lou and the other waitresses knew it by heart.

So the man in leather stood out, as well as the fact he was actually _reading_ the menu.

Lou was behind the counter, not sure if she should go over or let Pamela, her coworker of the day, do it since they didn't have assigned table sections.

"What are you waiting for, honey?" Pamela asked her, a tray filled with pancakes and toast meant for the lovely elderly couple that lived a block away.

"You," Lou told her. "I didn't know if you should go, since you're the head waitress."

Pamela laughed, the crinkles in the corners of her eyes becoming more prominent. "We don't have that fancy stuff here, Lou, and you know that."

"Your name tag literally says 'head waitress'," Lou said. "You're the boss here Pam."

"Well, alright then, as head waitress, go take that fella's order," Pam responded, and then she grinned. "And maybe snag a phone number."

Lou quaffed, shaking her head. "Pam!"

"You need to live a little Lou, and let me live vicariously through you in my old age."

Lou raised a brow at her as she grabbed a note pad and a pen. "You're hardly old, Pam."

"After three children dear, I feel like I'm ready for retirement."

Pamela headed toward the table that the tray was meant for, leaving a chuckling Lou in her wake.

The man was still reading the menu, but Lou approached him with a smile and politely cleared her throat. "Are you ready to order, sir?"

It felt odd addressing a customer so formally, since most of the regulars insisted on their first names being used, while the students that came through were hardly ever there long enough for Lou to need to address them.

He looked up at her, and Lou took notice of his features, which were soft and could've made him be mistaken for a high schooler, but his eyes broke that illusion. They were dark and intense, and Lou had to force herself to look away from them and concentrate on her job.

"A large cup of coffee, black," he said with a slight drawl that Lou couldn't place. "And what would you recommend to eat?"

Lou tilted her head as she thought about it. "Depends which you prefer, sweet or savory. If sweet, our pancakes are to die for, as for savory, I have to recommend the omelet."

He glanced at the menu before looking back at her, and Lou had to resist the urge to look away. "I'll take the sweet."

"A large black coffee and a plate of pancakes, then," Lou recounted as she scribbled it down.

"Thank you _darlin_ '."

Lou bit back the reply she would've liked to give to the endearment, as chewing out a customer, an unknown one at that, probably wasn't very smart, and simply walked back to the kitchen to give the order to the cook.

Pamela was ringing up an order of a very nervous looking student, and when Lou looked at the clock and saw it was nine-thirty, and most classes began at nine, she felt a pang of sympathy.

"Is there a number on that notepad?" Pamela asked, making Lou roll her eyes.

"No, and I don't want there to be," Lou responded, leaning her back against the counter. "He called me _darling_."

"And that's bad why?"

"It's the way he said it, so condescendingly, like he was doing me a favor by thanking me."

Pamela placed a hand on her waist, giving Lou a look. "Are you sure you're not reading into it?"

"Pam, the guys that usually call us sweetheart and darling are the same ones Ed has to throw out on their asses after they get too handsy."

"Don't let such pigs taint the wonder of pet names, Lou."

"Easier said than done," Lou muttered, stopping the conversation to see to the order of one of their regulars that had just entered the establishment.

Not soon after she was heading back to the new customer, a tray in hand. She'd noticed a hat in the chair next to him, and that he was now reading a book, which piked Lou's interest. She had to concede a bit to Pam's point, the type of guys that gave nicknames a bad rep were not the same type that would read a book, much less in public. Lou wasn't even sure most of them had read anything since school.

"Here you go," she said, putting the plate of pancakes in front of him, some butter and maple syrup on the side so he could use it to his heart's content. The cup of coffee was next, and Lou was careful not to spill. "Coffee's a bit hot, so look out for that."

He'd kept the book open and in the air as Lou was setting the table, but now it was nestled between the plate and the cup.

"Good book you got there?" She asked him, curiosity winning over.

He closed the book, keeping a finger inside to mark his place, and showed her the cover. "Very."

Lou was surprised to see a chess book, and she looked at him inquisitively. "By that type of reading material, I take it you're here for the tournament this weekend?"

He looked surprised at her question but nodded. "Do you play?"

Lou chuckled, shaking her head. "No, I just have a cousin that does."

"Well, maybe I'll see you there then," he said and extended a hand toward her. "I'm Benny Watts."

His tone suggested she was supposed to recognize him, but the name came up blank on Lou's mind, and she simply shook his hand, taking notice of the callouses that peppered his palm. "Lou Benson."

She stood there for a moment, their hands still in each other's hold, as Benny looked at her with a frown, almost like he was waiting for something. Lou quickly let go of his hand and took a step back. "I'll leave you to your breakfast, and your book. If you need anything else, just call."

Lou made her to the counter, walking a bit more briskly than usual.

**°°°**

The hotel that her aunt had booked was indeed a nice one, and Lou felt very fancy as the man at the front desk inquired if she was there to check-in, and offered to take her bag for her, even though it was a small one Lou used to keep her books and assignments.

"I'm here to see Mrs. Wheatley, she's in room 352 if I'm not mistaken."

Lou was given a customer service smile, a similar one to the type she handed out daily at the diner and asked to wait as he called the room.

A few words later, Lou was instructed to go up the stairs and then into an elevator, turning left when arriving on the third floor.

Knocking on the room's door, she was greeted by Beth, who was looking very calm for someone that had a competition later in the day.

"How are you feeling, champ?" Lou asked her.

Lou was a bit superstitious, in that she didn't really like to count victories before they happened, but Beth inspired a ridiculous level of confidence in Lou that she would win. The girl practically breathed chess, and Lou had little doubt she'd win this tournament.

"I'm feeling fine," Beth told her. "How was your day?"

The day had actually been pretty good, and her shift that morning did not include an encounter with the chess player. The encounter on the previous day hadn't _unpleasant_ per se, but there was something about Benny Watts that got under Lou's skin, and she didn't like it.

"It was alright, I got a five-dollar tip," Lou commented proudly.

She glanced around the room, noticing one of the beds had a chessboard with a game set up, as well as some books strew across the mattress. "Is that how you practice?"

Beth nodded, sitting on her bed, while Lou did the same on her aunt's. "I play practice games, using strategies, and I go over my previous games to see if there were any mistakes, and to help me improve."

Lou was impressed with the level of dedication, but she supposed everyone had a passion, something in life that called to them, and to Beth, that was chess.

Lou had a similar level of entrancement with literature, she'd spend hours reading a novel, and then spend hours more analyzing it, and a few more writing about it. To someone else, it may be perceived as a bout of madness, but to people like Beth, who had something similar, it was understandable.

"Well, what are you playing here?"

"My game against Townes," Beth told her, touching one of the white pawns that weren't in use on the board.

"That's tall, dark, and handsome, right?"

Beth gave Lou a _look_ , and Lou chuckled. "What? It is a simplification of how you described him, maybe with a tad bit of interpretation on my part."

"He's a good chess player," Beth said, not denying what she said.

"That too, I suppose."

Nothing more was spoken about the 'good chess player', and Lou let the matter rest, not wanting to antagonize her little cousin.


	4. Chapter three

**LOU FOLLOWED BETH** as she made her way toward where the tournament was taking place, keeping close tabs on her little cousin since even though Beth was smarter than her, she was still a kid. It didn't matter it was in the hotel they were staying, Lou wasn't taking any chances.

Beth got in a line to sign her name in, and Lou stayed back watching her as she talked with the guy sitting at the desk. It didn't take long, and the two of them made their way up a flight of stairs, Beth leading, and Lou a few steps behind.

Suddenly Beth stopped in the middle of the staircase, making Lou do the same.

"The Caro-Kann Defense, genuine bummer." Lou heard a man, with a frighteningly familiar voice, say.

Lou couldn't see through the bars that separated the landing from the stairs, but Beth could, and she was staring intently at it.

"What's wrong with Caro-Kann?" Another voice asked.

"It's all pawns and no hope."

Lou suppressed a groan when she finally put a face to the voice, belonging to none other than Benny Watts, her _lovely_ patron from the previous day.

"Here, look, I'll show you, all right? This is Caro-Kann." The sense of superiority Lou was getting from his tone was in line with her impression of him.

The sound of a chess piece hitting the board was heard at the same time Beth spoke up.

"I'd take the knight."

Lou wanted to grab Beth and whisk her away, not wanting even a modicum of influence coming from the wannabe cowboy to reach her dear cousin, but it was too late, and Beth finished walking up the steps to stand in front of the board and the amassed group of chess players.

Lou took a breath and sighed, slowly walking up the steps, but stopping right where Beth had been, finding herself faced with Benny Watts up close.

"You're, um..." he started saying, facing away from where Lou was standing, giving her the opportunity to analyze him.

The hat he'd placed on a chair yesterday was now in use, and it truly made whatever style he'd seemly been going for escape Lou. She had no idea what it was, but it was mostly black, and leather. She caught a glance of a sheeted knife resting upon his leg, and Lou tilted her head, wondering what it was for.

"Aren't you that kid from Kentucky who wiped out Harry Beltik?" His voice shook Lou out of her reverie, and she processed the content of his words. He knew who her cousin was? And who the hell was Harry Beltik? She remembered Beth talking about her matches, but the only name she remembered her cousin mentioning was Townes.

"If you take his knight, then you double his pawns," Beth said.

Benny turned back to the board, and Lou froze for a second thinking he'd see her, but his eyes were solely focused on the chess pieces. "Big deal. Like I said, it's all pawns and no hope. Let me show you how to win with black."

Lou stared at the moving chess pieces, and the hand moving them. He had a heavy silver ring on his fourth finger, and a bracelet on his wrist, confusing Lou even more about the style he was going for. His fingers were long and lithe, and they picked up the pieces with care but also with confidence, not a single doubt about the move he was making.

"Watch this." He picked up a black rook and placed it in the middle of the board, diagonally to the black queen and beside a white pawn, and differently from the others around, Lou had no clue what that could do. "What does white do here?"

Lou was blissfully clueless, but her cousin wasn't.

"Queen takes pawn," Beth responded in unison with the man sitting in front of Benny.

The expression on Beth's face was one of surprise, as if she never had someone have the same train of thought as her before regarding chess, and Lou believed that might've been the case, at least, until now.

"Queen takes pawn," Benny repeated in agreement and completed that move. "Rook to king eight. Check." He gestures to the board, looking to the man in front of him. "Queen falls."

Lou couldn't see the man's face, but she could hear his voice and the realization that graced it. "That's Mieses-Reshevsky."

She could admit total confusion, since those two words didn't even _sound_ like words, and Lou had seen her fair share of weird words in her life. She could only assume they were names, maybe a strategy?

"Yeah."

"From the thirties."

Benny nodded. "Very good. Margate, 1935."

Ah, it was a game. That made more sense, now that Lou thought about it.

"White played rook to queen one."

"What else has he got?" Benny asked slowly, his accent becoming slightly more pronounced.

No one answered him, and he didn't give anyone the chance to.

"Alright, I gotta go." He began to put away the chess pieces into a box, doing so quickly and with an efficiency that told Lou he'd done so a million times, and the state of the chess set spoke to its age.

"Hey you know what? Reshevsky, he was playing like that..." Benny spoke up, seemed Lou talking to no one. "Back when he was your age, little girl." He'd now turned his head toward Beth, and spoke directly to her. "Or even younger."

Beth didn't look like she knew what to say, and Lou fought the urge to run the rest of the stairs and stand in front of her, a tiny shield, which would be a little laughable since even though Beth was five years younger than her, Lou only reached her chin.

"Are you playing?" Beth asked him as he got up, chess set in hand.

"Oh, what, here?" He asked, leaning down to pick up a duffel bag. "Nah, nah." Benny gestured to the chess players that had been surrounding him. "Just come through, see some old friends."

Lou frowned, thinking back to their brief conversation at the diner. He'd never said he'd be _playing_ , but it was implied.

"And plus, playing too many opens... it can only hurt me, you know what I mean?" His tone was dismissive and made Lou grit her teeth.

Benny reached a hand and placed it on Beth's shoulder, making Lou's eyes widen. "Good luck." At least he sounded sincere.

Beth looked a bit flabbergasted, and Lou could admit she was as well, because she didn't move, not until Benny Watts made his way to the stairs and came face to face with Lou.

He stopped just two steps away from her, making their height difference, which would already be significant with them on the same floor level, seem comical.

Recognition filled his eyes and he snapped his fingers. "Lou, was it? Here to see your cousin play, right?"

Lou nodded slowly. "Yes. Benny, correct? I thought you were playing."

He shrugged, adjusting his duffle bag on his shoulder. "I never said I was."

"Why not?"

Benny raised a brow and stared at her in disbelief. "You don't know who I am?"

Lou tilted her head at him. "You're Benny Watts, I literally just said so."

"I mean my career," he replied, amusement in his voice. "You really don't know, then?"

"You're a cowboy with an identity crisis, from what I gather."

Benny raised a brow at that and shook his head. "I'm the U.S Champion."

Oh, that made sense, it fit his ego rather nicely. "I see," Lou answered. "Congrats, I guess?"

Benny looked more offended at her dismissiveness of his title than her offhand comment about his clothing choices and Lou couldn't help a grin, nor the temptation to vex him further.

"You do know she's underage, right?" Lou asked, gesturing to where Beth had been.

"Who? Harmon?"

"Yes, and I don't appreciate creeps coming on to my cousin."

Benny choked on air, her words startling him. "I- I wasn't," he seemed lost for words, and Lou's grin widened.

"That's alright then, just keep that in mind, okay?"

Lou knew she wasn't threatening, her uncle had once compared her to a chihuahua, no matter how loud it barked, everyone would chuckle and coo at it. So she used other methods, such as vague threats that spoke to something that did freak people out, such as the police, or her uncle with a machete.

"Wait, Harmon is your cousin?"

Lou nodded, going back to ascending the stairs, but stopping when she heard him call her name. She was now two steps above him, and to her dismay, it only put her at eye level with him.

"I wasn't flirting with her," he said, his tone serious, and Lou chuckled.

"Oh, I know." She shrugged, looking directly into his eyes. "If you had been, I'd have pushed you down the stairs by now."

He gave a soft chuckle, amused, but Lou could tell he knew she meant what she said.

"Bye now, Mr. US Champion."

Lou turned around and quickly walked the rest of the steps, finding the landing empty save for Beth, who had been looking at her interaction with Benny. Lou smiled at her and hooked an arm around one of Beth's.

"Lead the way."

She didn't glance back at where she'd left Benny Watts, but had she done so, Lou would've seen him staring at her retreating back, at the exact same spot where she had been watching him.

**°°°**

Lou had watched Beth's first game with fascination, from the moment she'd introduced herself and received a defeated ' _shit_ ' form her opponent, Lou realized Beth's reputation as a stellar chess player preceded her, and she couldn't help but feel proud.

Beth had quickly won, and the two of them made their way out of where the games were being played.

Her cousin spotted two figures walking toward them, and her face lit up.

"Hey!"

The two guys, who now Lou could see were identical twins, had been arguing amongst themselves, but the sight of her cousin caught their attention.

"Harmon?"

"What are you two doing here?" Beth asked with a smile.

"Losing mostly." One of them answered.

"We're on the University team now, second and third alternate." The other one said.

"Oh, I'm sorry we won't get to play."

The first one(Lou needed their names _pronto_ , lest she starts referring to them as Thing One and Thing Two) scoffed good-naturedly. "We're not. You destroy everyone you play, Harmon. I can only lose so much."

Thing Two(Lou gave up) chuckled lightly. "That's true."

Thing One turned to Lou, and smiled at her. "And who is this?"

Beth seemed startled, almost forgetting about her. "Oh, this is Lou, she's my cousin."

Lou waved and smiled at them. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Matt," the first one said, and Lou breathed an internal sigh of relief. "And this is Mike."

The relief was gone and promptly substituted by dread. Why would anyone name twins such similar names? It was begging for them to always be confused with one another even further.

"Do you also play?" Mike asked, as long as they stayed in the same place, or didn't change outfits, Lou could do this.

"Not at all, but I'm here to support Beth," Lou told them.

"It's nice to have family around for these things," Matt commented and then nudged his brother. "But not like either of us has any choice on the matter, being both chess players."

Lou chucked at their antics and glanced at Beth to find her with a smile on her face.

It seemed her cousin was not just feared in the chess community, but that she'd also managed to make a couple of friends. Lou was glad for it, chess was a solitary sport, and the last thing she wanted was Beth to become isolated from others.

**°°°**

Lou was standing a bit further away from the table where Beth was playing, close enough to see her, but not be in her space. This was the last match before lunch, and Lou was regretting skipping breakfast.

"She's good, isn't she?" Her aunt whispered to Lou.

Alma hadn't bothered to come to watch the matches yesterday, but something had made her change her mind because she found Lou just before this match began and had been by her side watching Beth play.

"Very," Lou responded, voice soft as to not disturb the games.

"Yesterday evening she was replaying all her games, trying to find errors in them," Alma said. "She is so dedicated."

"She loves chess, Aunt Alma."

Her aunt smiled, a soft look on her face as she looked at Beth."

"Yes, she does."

The match ended with Beth as the winner, to no one's surprise. Beth came in their direction, and as she took notice of Alma's presence, Lou could see the surprise mixed with happiness in Beth's face.

Lou stayed behind as Alma talked to her daughter, and soon they were joined by the twins Lou had been introduced to the previous day. Lou walked up to be beside her aunt, linking their arms.

"Elizabeth, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Lou widened for a second before she schooled her expression, for she'd heard that tone before, in her aunt Giulia's voice. And it usually ended with a new beau.

"Matt, Mike, this is my mom," Beth said, and Lou smiled at her use of the term 'mom'. "And you've met Lou."

They individually shook hands with Alma and smiled at Lou. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed different colored shoes. Matt was black shoes, Mike was brown shoes. Lou was tempted to talk to them about wearing different colors and styles but didn't want to be rude, and maybe it was on purpose. Lou would definitely do that if she were a twin.

"Well, I don't know about you young people, but I'm famished."

"There's a restaurant in the hotel lobby," Mike said.

Aunt Alma hummed and turned toward him. "Show us the way."

The twins began walking, and the three of them started following, but not before her aunt spoke.

"I can't make up my mind which one is more handsome," she said, making Lou laugh.

"Aunt Alma, they're in college," Lou told her, not exactly with a chastising voice, but more so an embarrassed one.

"That means they're adults," she responded with a teasing voice, and Lou rolled her eyes at her. "Oh shoo, I'm just looking, like window shopping."

"Just remember they're Beth's friends." Beth raised a brow at that classification but did not deny it.

The restaurant was a fancy one, much like the hotel itself. Lou was glad she'd downed some of her going out clothes instead of the ones she used to attend classes, otherwise, she would've felt very out of place. Lou supposed there was some truth to her youngest aunt's motto of it being better to be overdressed and be able to tone it down, rather than underdressed with no way to make it better.

They were sat at a round table with six seats, Beth in the middle of Lou and Alma, then Mike by Alma's side, Matt, and finally an empty seat between Lou and Matt, where purses resided.

There was a good selection of food, Lou still preferred her uncle's restaurant, but that was Italian food and this was more French, and Lou knew better than to even begin comparing the two.

Appetizers were ordered, followed by the main courses, and Lou took a worried glance at her aunt as she had her second Gibson. Aunt Alma wasn't a drinker from what she remembered, and that drink used a distilled alcohol, which wasn't very good for your liver when compared to wine or beer. Maybe it was a rare occasion, she hadn't seen her drink anything but a beer during the time she was at their house, so it was probably a celebration treat.

They finished their meals, the topics of conversation had been varied, from university to movies, with chess always making an appearance, and being the most prominent one.

"I'd like to play in the U.S. Open," Beth told them as they were discussing all the tournaments that took place on a yearly basis.

"You might win it," Mike said.

"Is that what decides the U.S Champion?" Lou inquired.

"Yeah, the winner gets the title and prize money."

"Would that lead to playing abroad? In Europe, I mean?" Aunt Alma inquired.

"No reason why not," Mike answered. "They have to know you before they invite you."

"Would winning the open make them know about me?"

"Hell yes!" Mike exclaimed.

"Benny Watts plays in Europe all the time now that he has his international title," Matt added.

Lou was impressed, she had no idea competitive chess could be so broad, enough to lead to playing in other continents. She understood a bit now why Benny had been miffed she didn't pay attention to his title if it meant this much in the chess community. He probably wasn't used to anyone that knew him not being impressed, and Lou certainly hadn't been, at least, not outwardly.

Aunt Alma asked them about the prize money, which made Lou's eyes widen. Huh, she wondered what was the reason for Benny's old chess set, and dragging around a duffel bag, if he had access to that type of money.

"What about Russia?" Beth asked, receiving alarmed gazes from the twins.

"The Soviets are murder. They eat Americans for breakfast there."

"I don't think there's been an American with a prayer against them in 20 years. It's like ballet. They pay people to play chess."

They weren't aware of it now, but Lou could see how the twin's words were just increasing Beth's resolution to play in Russia.

Lou looked at her, seeing the glint in her eyes, and Lou just knew, she might be going to Russia to see her cousin play one day. Well, she did like Tolstoy's works, so it might be fun.

She should re-read War and Peace soon, it did take a while to read the beast of a novel, and who knows, maybe Beth will get to Russia before Lou can even finish it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a bit different, more centered around events of the show, but this won't be happening again, at least, not for a while
> 
> I just couldn't pass up on that first appearance benny made in tqg, I adore it


	5. chapter four

**THE DEPARTURE** of her aunt and Beth was on a Monday morning, and Lou had traded her morning shift at the diner to an evening one, so she could properly say goodbye.

Beth had won the tournament, and in the previous afternoon, they'd gone shopping the three of them to celebrate. Lou had bought Beth a lovely cream cardigan with pearls as buttons, and Beth had hugged her before leaving.

It'd been a lovely weekend, even considering the glaring presence of one arrogant chess player at the beginning of it.

Lou would now have to go back to her same old life, classes, work, and the eventual outing with either Donna or one of her classmates. Preferably not Donna, unless Lou was after a wild night out.

Her after lunch class had just ended, and Lou had another book on her list to read for an assignment.

"Miss Benson?"

Lou had been making her way out of her classroom, where she'd just had a lovely lecture on creative writing, given by one of her favorite professors.

"Yes, Professor Watson?"

The older woman was one of two of their female teachers in the English Department, and she was Lou's personal favorite. The other one, Professor Holloway, was of the mind that no good literature had been written after the First World War, which resulted in her classes being less about History of Literature and more about debates amongst students and herself.

"Do you have a minute?"

Lou nodded her affirmation and walked back into the classroom, which was now empty save for her and the professor.

"I wanted to talk to you about your ambitions after graduation," Professor Watson said, gathering papers that were strewn in her desk into a neat pile.

"I'm not sure yet," Lou told her honestly.

The maximum Lou could plan head was a month, and even then, two weeks was a more safe bet. Asking her what she wanted to do after she had her diploma was like asking her about rocket science, she knew it was about rockets and science, but nothing else. Lou had _ideas_ , but she always had those.

"Well, if you're interested in following an academic route, I'd suggest getting a master's." Lou was handed a pamphlet, and she tilted her head as she read the words on it.

"New York University?"

"You have family there, right?" Lou nodded. "They're offering scholarships for master's degrees, and as an alumnus, I was asked to scout possible candidates."

Lou's gaze snapped back to Professor Watson, and she almost gaped at her. "And you're thinking of _me_?"

Lou wasn't exactly humble, but she wasn't of the mind that she was anything special either. The whole reason she came to Cincinnati to study was that she got a discount because her father had been an alumnus here, and Lou didn't think a scholarship was within her grasp. They usually gave those to the jocks, which, _sure_ , made a little sense since they probably wouldn't be able to attend if they were required to do so on the account of purely brains, but it made people like Lou, who couldn't run more then a minute without stopping, and had ridiculously short legs, be at a disadvantage when it came to financial assistance unless they were geniuses, which Lou was not.

"Yes, you're a bright girl, Miss Benson, and I think you have an even brighter future ahead of you."

Lou was staring at her Professor, and the first sign of burning in the back of her eyes made her look down at the pamphlet.

"You really think so?" Lou asked softly.

Professor Watson smiled at her and nodded. "I do."

Lou looked at the pamphlet again and opened her bag to put it inside.

"I'll think about it, thank you, Professor."

The woman smiled at Lou, and as she left the classroom, she couldn't help the smile that bubbled out of her.

**°°°**

Evening shifts during Monday's at Rosie's diner made breakfast look like rush hour and their actual rush hour look like complete madness.

Most people tended to have dinner with their families at home, and no students actually went out to eat on a _Monday_.

There was the odd person that came in for a sweet or a drink, but those tended to start dwindling by the time the clock hit six pm.

Ed, their cook, went home at seven-thirty, a few of each of their orders leftover from lunch in the fridge just in case someone came around, but Lou could handle everything else.

The man didn't want Lou staying by herself, but she knew he wanted to get home to his family, and reminded him about the pistol under the counter, which Ed had made sure every waitress knew how to use.

So nine pm found Lou alone in the diner, sitting on a stool at the counter with the book she'd been reading earlier that day, an old version of Rapunzel.

The jingle of the bell at the door made her jump down the stool and close her book.

Just as she got to the other side of the counter, Lou turned and was greeted by the sight of Benny Watts.

"Hello there," she greeted.

"I thought your shift would be in the morning," he said, sitting down in the stool that Lou had been occupying.

"It's usually in the morning, but I traded today."

"Oh?" The silent question made Lou raise an eyebrow.

"I wanted to say goodbye to Beth."

"I heard she won, without breaking a sweat."

"Just as expected," Lou said, a sense of pride swelling in her chest.

"She's good, but the pressure can make even the smarter players stumble," Benny said, grabbing the menu that was on the counter.

"Beth did just fine," Lou countered. "You weren't even there."

He shrugged, eyes not straying from the plastic-covered menu. "I didn't have to be, I read the games."

Lou tilted her head. " _Read_ the games?"

Benny glanced at her, and seeing her confused expression, he grinned.

"Yeah, they published it in pamphlets after the end of the tournament, and it'll probably end up in Chess Review next month."

"How can you read a game?"

"Like this," Benny grabbed something from inside his coat, a piece of paper, and placed it on the counter, turning toward Lou. "Every square has a name, and each piece is also named. They print out the square and what piece moved into it."

Lou was staring at the words and numbers in the paper with a frown, finding it difficult to understand how anyone could read that and know what was being played.

"That looks complicated," she mumbled, and Benny chuckled.

"I guess it can be, but I'm used to it." He gestured for the pen in her apron, which she gave him. Benny quickly drew a chessboard in a corner of the paper. "Each square has two names, depending on the viewpoint of White or Black. Every column of squares is named corresponding to the piece that was occupying it at the start of the game, and since all except the queen and king are doubled, you differentiate between them by pieces on the queen's side or king's side."

He wrote down the names of a row, K on one side, and Q on the other, each of them accompanying another capital letter and a number. "The pieces on the queen's side of the board are named with respect to the queen, like 'queen's rook'. Same for the king's side. And each row is given a number ranging from one to eight, with one being closest to the player."

Benny pointed at one of the lines, where it was written P-K4. "Here, this means a pawn was moved to the fourth king's square. The letter before the hyphen represents the piece, and the rest is the square."

Looking over the rest of the page, Lou turned it around, to see the rest of it also filled. "Impressive. You basically have an imaginary board in your head if you can understand all of this and not get lost." She was lost just in his explanation, but the drawn board helped.

Benny laughed. "I guess that's one way to put it."

Lou smiled, tracing the written game for a moment, before remembering she was at work. The lack of coworkers or other customers made it almost seem like that wasn't the case. She'd been leaning into the counter, her forearms serving as support, so she straightened herself and grabbed her notepad, and the pen back from Benny.

"Right, can I get you anything?"

The menu had been forgotten by Benny, but he grabbed it again. "A large cup of coffee and a grilled cheese."

Lou noted it down, even though she could probably remember that. "I thought you were a sweets person," she piped up, finding herself in a teasing mood.

"Well, I generally am, but I thought having something sugary as dinner would go against my mother's lectures from when I was a kid."

Lou stopped herself from ripping the paper from the notepad and placed one of her hands upon her hip.

"Are you seriously having a _grilled cheese_ for dinner?"

It was Benny's turn to look confused, and he slowly nodded.

"Having coffee at this hour is already bad enough, never mind a grilled cheese as a meal!"

"What's wrong with grilled cheese?"

"It's fine for a snack, but it's hardly good sustenance."

Benny was looking at her with a bemused expression, and Lou held herself from huffing. "What do you recommend, then?"

Lou bit her bottom lip in thought, she didn't want to reheat something Ed had made, they were mostly light things, especially since apparently this guy was having snacks as substitutes for meals. That's the type of thing Lou expects from students cramming for finals, not a supposed national chess champion.

"How do you feel about pasta?"

"I like it," Benny said, and Lou nodded.

"Give me twenty minutes."

She served him his coffee and made her way into the kitchen. Lou hadn't had dinner either, so, she might as well cook here instead of at home just for herself, and as a bonus, a cowboy chess player would be getting an actual plate of food. It wasn't like anyone would complain about her eating with a customer, she had a feeling Benny wouldn't mind, and if he did, well, no one was there to see her kick him out.

Lou felt very strongly about people eating good meals for lunch and dinner, no matter what people said about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, Lou's Nonna had always insisted it was dinner, so you'd go to sleep with a full belly, and she instilled this into every member of the family that had come after her.

Grabbing the necessary ingredients, Lou made quick work of the pasta, making her favorite one, and also the only one she had all the necessary things for. She opened the door that led back to the main room of the diner with one hand, the other holding a tray, where Benny Watts still sat at the counter, but this time reading a book.

Lou set the tray down, placing one plate in front of Benny, and the other in front of the stool next to him. "Here you go, one plate of _spaghetti carbonara_."

Benny closed the book and glanced at the meal, eyebrows raised. "You made this?"

"Yes."

"Wow." He grabbed the fork she'd settled next to the plate, and looked around for something. "Is there a knife?"

Lou scoffed. "You eat that with a knife, I'll stab you with it."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's a crime to cut up spaghetti. You use a spoon to twist it in the fork," Lou told him, holding out a spoon for him to take.

Benny took it hesitantly, almost as if he was scared Lou would stab him with it.

"Here, I'll show you."

Lou grabbed her cutlery and used the fork to pick up a few strands of spaghetti, and with her other hand, she placed the spoon at the end of the fork, using the spoon as support. Lou twisted her fork a few times until the stands of pasta were firmly secure.

She smiled and glanced at the man beside her. "Like so."

Lou stifled a laugh as Benny failed to copy her, and repeated her actions two more times, only more slowly. He succeeded in his third try and finally managed to eat the food.

"It's good," Benny told her in between bites, his tone bordering on surprise.

"Did you think it wouldn't be?"

"Nah, it smelled good when you were making it." Lou pressed her lips together as not to smile at the compliment, and focused on her food.

Looking at the counter, Lou's eye caught sight of her book, the only book currently there. She frowned and looked at Benny.

"Were you reading my book?"

Benny seemed startled by her sudden question because he coughed like the food had gone down the wrong pipe.

"Um, yes. I didn't understand it though. What language is it written in?"

"Italian," Lou responded with a grin. "Why were you reading it if you couldn't understand it?"

"There were pictures," Benny answered, making her chuckle. "Why are you reading a book in Italian? Are you learning it?"

Lou shook her head. "It's my second language, my grandparents are Italian."

"And what is it about? The pictures make it seem like it's Rapunzel or something."

"That's because it sorta is," Lou said, garnering a questioning look. "It's an old version of the tale, different than the one written by the Grimm Brothers. It's my assignment for class."

"I take it you're an English major?" He asked, and received a nod of affirmation. "What's the difference between this one and the other one?"

"In short? This Rapunzel is smarter."

"How so?"

"Well, instead of being rescued, she plans her own escape, using the prince to her advantage," Lou explained. "And she's not a fool to think the clearly male voice calling out her name to get up the tower was her female captor."

"That is smarter," Benny agreed. He picked up the book, analyzing its cover. "Petrosinella." He read, butchering the pronunciation.

"It means little parsley in Italian," Lou mentioned.

"It sounds nicer in Italian," Benny said, making Lou smile.

"I guess so."

They'd both finished their plates, and Lou got up and took them back to the kitchen, placing them in a soak.

"Thank you for the meal," Benny said when she returned. "Do you usually cook for and eat with customers?"

Lou shook her head. "Only when it's almost closing time and the customer in question has questionable ideas about what constitutes as dinner."

Benny placed a few bills on the counter and grabbed the hat he'd taken off when he arrived, placing it upon his head. Lou couldn't help but wonder if Benny was a fan of western movies, there was just something about that motion that felt almost rehearsed.

He turned to walk out of the diner when he paused midway, as Lou had set the bills inside the cash register, and started to tidy up.

"You said it's almost closing time?"

Lou nodded. "At ten," she said and glanced at the wall clock. "In fifteen minutes."

Benny frowned. "Do you have someone picking you up? I didn't see any cars parked outside."

"No, I'm walking. I live just a few blocks away."

"Do you do this often? If you usually have the morning shift."

Lou didn't, in fact, and she had been nervous about it. The only other time she'd had the closing shift, Ed had stayed the whole time and walked with her, but she'd seen how tired he'd been the next day, so this time Lou insisted he go home. "Not really, but I'll be fine."

Benny stared at her for a couple of seconds, before walking back to the counter and sitting down again.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you," he said and picked up her book again. "I'll walk you home."

Lou was at a loss for words and didn't manage to find any for a couple of moments. "You don't have to."

"I know."

"Then why do it?"

He shrugged. "I don't want anything on my consciousness if anything were to happen to you. It's late, and you're a pretty girl who'd be walking alone in the streets."

Lou felt her cheeks heat up, and she prayed that it wasn't noticeable. It wasn't like her to blush like a schoolgirl at the first compliment she got. But it wasn't only saying she was pretty, it was the concern for her well-being, even if Benny had phrased it in a bit of a backhand way.

"Ok," she conceded. There was less of a chance of Benny secretly having nefarious intentions than something happening on the way home, and even if she was loath to admit it, Lou was a bit of a scaredy-cat when it came to those things. "It'll be just a few minutes then."

Lou made quick work of closing the diner, and at five to ten, she had her bag and the keys to the place in hand, the only thing out of place being her book, still in Benny's hands.

When he noticed she was ready, he handed it to her, and the two of them headed out, Lou locking the door behind her.

The night sky was clear, and Lou hugged her coat closer to her as the November air chilled her skin. Her uniform was a blue dress that ended mid-thigh, and cute as it was, it would not win any prizes for being warm.

She began walking, Benny by her side, and a comfortable silence filled the air.

"Why the duffel bag?" She asked, getting a confused look from the chess player. "At the tournament, you had a duffel bag with you."

"Ah," Benny said, "I was supposed to head to the airport after that."

"Why didn't you?"

"My flight was canceled, and they only had another one by the same company tomorrow."

Lou had only been on a place a few times, and she hated every minute of it. "I'd drive."

Benny glanced at her. "All the way to New York?"

"You're from New York?"

"Yep. Not sure my car can handle the trip, to be honest."

"It's not that long, less than a day, I'd say."

"Do you drive like a maniac, then? No wonder you don't have a car." Lou rolled her eyes at him.

"It's what, seven hundred miles? C'mon, my grandmother probably drives faster than you if it'd take you more than a day."

"You can't drive non stop, you need rest, and food," Benny countered. "Aren't you the one that feels strongly about meals? I would've thought you'd never skip one."

"Alright, maybe not if you're alone," Lou conceded. "But if you're traveling with someone else, one drives and the other sleeps, easy. And you know you can bag food for the way, right?"

"Ok, next time I come to Ohio, I'll drive," Benny told her. "If it takes me more than a day, you owe me ten bucks."

"Are you planning to come to Ohio any time soon?"

Benny shrugged. "Who knows, there's always a tournament around these parts every year." He extended his hand to her. "So, deal?"

Lou stared at his hand for a moment and then shook it. "Deal. No driving slow though!"

He placed a hand over his heart. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Lou narrowed her eyes at him, pointing a finger at his chest. "You better not, cowboy."

They'd arrived at her apartment building, and Lou stood in front of the entrance as she turned to Benny.

"Thank you, for walking me," she said softly.

Benny smiled, a real one, not just a grin or a smirk, and nodded toward her. "My pleasure, darlin'."

She stood there awkwardly for a moment, debating with herself what to do when a bout of courage possessed her, and she got on her tiptoes, reaching to place a kiss on Benny's cheek.

"Goodnight," Lou told him, opening the door and quickly getting inside.

They most likely wouldn't see each other again, so the kiss didn't mean anything other than gratitude, and it wouldn't be misconstrued, Lou rationalized.

As Lou made her way upstairs, she thought about the evening, and how maybe Pam was right after all, and not every guy that used pet names was a bad one.

If she'd looked behind before going inside, Lou would've seen Benny with his hand upon his cheek, standing there for a few moments after she'd gone before snapping out of it.


	6. chapter five

**LUCILLA BENSON GRADUATED** with honors in 1965, in the month of June.

It was a whole affair, complete with an entire row filled with her relatives, much to the chagrin of the event organizers.

Her family from New York had flown in, including her grandmother, Valentina, or just Nonna Tina, as she insisted everyone, including people that weren't related to her, call her. She was reaching her seventies, but 'strong like an ox', and made everyone that fussed over her regret it. Nonna liked to say she'd outlive all her children, which might be taken as a joke if you didn't pay attention to hear the defeat in her voice, as she had already lost her firstborn.

Her three aunts had also come, first Francesca, or Fanny, who was the second oldest, and with her, she brought her two children, dear Eleonora and Lorenzo, the eldest grandkids after Lou. After came Flora, who was saddled with twins, or 'double trouble', as she called them. She also brought her husband, if only to help look after the rascals. Her youngest aunt, Giulia, was only a decade older than Lou and came alone, with no kids or any intention of ever having any.

Her uncle, Pietro, was the only one to miss her graduation, but Lou was perfectly fine with that since the reason was another life being brought into the world. His wife was currently nine months along and prone to pop at any second, and even though it was their second child, after sweet little Daisy, her uncle worried and fretted, and like a good husband and father, refused to leave his pregnant wife alone with a four-year-old to take care of.

Her aunt Alma hadn't seen any of them since Lou's parent's funeral and was promptly taken aback. She'd been greeted with open smiles and warm hugs, and Lou was afraid they'd overwhelm her, if not for Alma hugging them back with a bright smile.

Beth had been in for the experience of a lifetime if her expression was any indication. Lou had kept in touch with her cousin over the years, went to every Kentucky state tournament to cheer for her cousin defending her title, and kept tabs on the games played in other states, along with a scrapbook of her games and titles. Lou wanted to give that to Beth when she was eighteen, so she put a lot of care and effort into it. Beth had gotten used to Lou's ways, but seeing that multiplied and in bulk in the form of the Bertollinis, Lou thought she might bolt for a moment there, like a startled cat.

Nonna fawned over her the moment she met Beth, complimenting her hair, her eyes, and a subtle(not subtle at all) comment that Beth needed to eat more and get some meat in her bones, as she always told every grandchild on a monthly basis. It was code for 'I want you to eat my food just so I know you're eating well', which Lou might have to explain to Beth later.

Her aunts Fanny and Flora also fretted over Beth, while Giulia gave her some space after a hug, and promptly dragged her sisters by their clothes away from the girl, a hiss that they were overwhelming her. Ellie and Enzo didn't do much beyond a greeting, as customary to their teenage awkwardness, so Lou stayed glued to their side, pouting at how _both_ of them were taller than her.

The twins, Antonio and Teodoro, or simply Toni and Teo, latched on to Beth like white on rice, being in awe of her hair, and wanting to learn about chess.

"I haven't felt this tired in a while," Lou said as she let herself fall on the couch.

Ever since Donna had graduated in the previous year, Lou hadn't been able to find another roommate, or at least, one that she liked. She hadn't liked living on her own, but at least now that there were visitors, she could accommodate some of them.

Her grandmother, aunt Giulia, and aunt Fanny, along with her two elder cousins, were staying with her. Nonna had Lou's bed, her aunts the spare one, and the grandchildren would crash in the living room, and Lou as the eldest had dibs on the couch.

Her aunt Flora had booked a hotel for herself and her family, since the twins were a handful that was guaranteed to make someone snap at one time or another, and there wasn't any space left unless someone slept on the bathtub.

Beth and Aunt Alma had returned to Lexington after the graduation ceremony, in part because they had a flight the next day to Houston, where Beth would be playing a tournament.

"How do you feel now that you've graduated?" Ellie asked, sitting down on the couch next to her.

Enzo was sprawled on the floor atop the blankets that were gathered to serve as a mattress and had his eyes closed.

"Not different at all," Lou told her, lifting her legs to put them over Ellie's lap. "It's like when I turned eighteen, everyone makes a big fuss about it, but it's like any other birthday."

"Except you were legally allowed to buy alcohol," Enzo piped in.

Lou shrugged. "Didn't make much of a difference to me, not a drinker."

"I've seen you drinking wine during dinner," Ellie countered.

"That's different, wine is basically part of some meals," Lou said, pointing a finger at her cousin.

Enzo huffed. "That's bull."

"Try making a good risotto without wine and then we'll talk about it."

Ellie laughed, and Enzo opened his eyes. "Do you have to taste the wine while you're cooking?"

"Well, no, but it's hard not to."

Enzo went back to his semi-awake state, but Lou knew he was listening. She and Ellie talked about the day, Lou's classmates, if she'd miss university, and eventually, to what Lou had next in-store.

"So, I haven't told anyone else this, because I was waiting for confirmation," Lou began, gaining the full attention of Ellie, and she stole a glance at Enzo to see one of his eyes slightly open. "But I got a scholarship for my master's!"

Ellie jumped toward her and pulled Lou into a hug, squealing. "Congratulations Lou!"

"And that's not all," Lou said with a sly smile. "It's NYU."

At that, Ellie's arms became tighter around Lou, and when the girl let go, Enzo had sat up.

"I'm happy for you, Lou," he said, and Lou jumped from the couch and tackled him in a hug.

Enzo grumbled he was being suffocated and made a snark comment that she was crushing him under her weight, which just resulted in Ellie joining the pile and draping herself over Lou.

The two girls laughed until they got out of breath, Enzo's dramatics egging them on.

**°°°**

The next couple of weeks had been chaotic, to put it mildly.

Telling her family that she was moving back was the easiest, since some of them had hoped she'd go back anyway, and it was one more good news, only outshined by the birth of her uncle's newest daughter.

Then it was the packing, which somehow had multiplied from the two suitcases she first brought to Cincinnati with her, to six boxes and three suitcases. Some of the boxes were purely books, in fact, more than half of them, but other things were just simply personal belongings, or house stuff she liked too much to leave for the next resident.

She thought about hiring a moving company and taking a plane, but her aunt Giulia had volunteered to help, on the account she didn't trust movers, and Lou wasn't about to pass that up, especially if it meant not having to fly. Her aunt stayed in Cincinnati with her after her graduation to help out and had rented a van to drive with Lou to New York.

It'd been three weeks since she'd graduated, and Lou was lying in her bed, surrounded by a bare room, with a newspaper in hand.

"I've just got off the phone with Pietro, little Diana is doing well," her aunt said as she leaned on the door frame, a mug in hand.

"Oh, I'm glad. I can't wait to meet her!"

Giulia smiled, and approached the bed, sitting on it.

"Are you looking for flats?"

Lou nodded. "It's harder than I thought," she said, pursing her lips at yet _another_ co-ed apartment.

Her aunt lay down next to her, balancing her mug on her stomach, and glanced at the adverts.

"That one sounds nice," she pointed to one.

"It would, if it wasn't two guy roommates," Lou grumbled.

"And whatever is wrong with that?" Lou glanced at her, an eyebrow raised, and Giulia laughed. "Oh Lou, it's not that bad, the worst is a lifted toilet seat."

"I'm just not comfortable," Lou said. "And besides, imagine what Nonna would say."

"She's already grumbling about you not moving in with her," Giulia told her, lifting herself just enough to drink her tea. "You might as well go all out."

"Careful not to spill," Lou warned, eying the mug with suspicion. "And I'm not trusting enough to live with strangers that I can't wack on the head with a heavy frying pan."

Giulia laughed, and Lou took the mug from her, placing it on the bedside table.

"Could you reach to wack Donna?"

"No, but I could tackle her just in case," Lou replied, a memory of one of the few times she'd indulged the blonde on going out and they ended up drunkenly fighting because Lou had eaten the last cookie.

"Well, maybe you should wait to rent a flat with someone you know," Giulia said, scooting back to use the headboard for support, and reclaiming her mug. "That way no pans or tackling will be necessary."

Lou bit her lip in thought, putting down the newspaper. "I just feel a bit like a kid you know? If I move back into Nonna's house."

Giulia flicked her forehead, receiving an audible ' _ow_ ' from Lou. Her aunt had long nails.

"That's stupid. You'll be saving money and have family around."

Lou had to concede her point, her reasonings for living on her own were mostly due to wanting independence, but she had to admit she'd missed her grandmother, and it would be a relief to not have to worry about rent.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lou agreed and folded the newspaper.

"Besides, you'll want to move in with a boyfriend, it's way better than a roommate," Giulia commented with a grin, and Lou blushed, which led to her aunt pinching her cheeks. "Don't be shy now."

"You know I'll be a spinster, right?"

Giulia rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing as a spinster, people just choose to be single, and that's perfectly alright," she said. "But if that's what you want Lou, then you have no reason not to have it."

Lou sighed, joining her aunt in sitting against the headboard.

"It's just, everyone I meet that is interested wants me to be someone I'm not."

"Then they're not interested in _you_ , just what they think you are or could be."

"See my problem, then?"

"You know I'm not of the mind that there's a one out there for everyone, it's more like, _someones._ You'll find one of them eventually."

Lou sighed, resting her head on her aunt's shoulder. "I hope so."

"When you do, remember that Nonna's approval is important," Giulia said. "Otherwise she'll scare him off with a shotgun."

"She has a shotgun?"

"Of course she does," her aunt answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"Because it's Nonna."

**°°°**

When moving back to her grandmother's house, Lou had settled nicely in her old bedroom and had promptly redecorated it to make it less like if a rainbow vomited.

She had a weird phase in high school.

New York City was a mammoth compared to Cincinnati, which had already been a big city, but Lou was used to it, and she loved it.

Living with her grandmother was also a positive, she'd forgotten how nice it was, having breakfast together, the smells from the oven in the afternoon when she got back from university, and having someone to say goodnight to.

Another plus was that her Uncle Pietro's wife, Ada, came by often with the newest Bertollini, little Diana, who was promptly pampered by Lou and her grandmother. Lou loved babies, they were just too cute for their own good. She wasn't envious of the sleepless nights her aunt and uncle were enduring though, and sometimes she held baby Diana and looked after her while Ada took a nap.

Classes had been going well, she'd settled in nicely, and her classmates seemed like nice enough people.

In her time in New York so far, she'd given a thought to two to the chess US Champion, and even started looking through a phonebook, but stopped before reaching the letter W. It'd be weird if she just randomly called him.

They weren't friends, more acquaintances. It didn't matter that she'd had enjoyed his company and that maybe she didn't find him all that insufferable as she had in their first meeting. She did want to ask him if he'd tried driving to Ohio, or anywhere else, but Lou hadn't the guts.

Which was fine, of course, Benny Watts made no difference in her life. She'd lived perfectly fine without him until now, and would continue to do so for the rest of her life. She needed to banish silly thoughts of fancy she'd acquired, it was most likely all steamed from him walking her home, which was ridiculous. She couldn't very well like any man that showed a modicum of cavalry, Lou had higher standards than that.

What was there to like anyway? A horrible sense of personal style, an ego the size of the Empire State Building? The propensity for unwanted pet names?

Lou tried focusing on those things, the things that made her more than glad to not have done what Pam had teased her to do, instead of regretting not snagging his number when she had the chance.

It was no use dwelling in what could've been, so Lou tried not to.

**°°°**

The year 1966 came without anyone noticing, Lou could swear it was still July when it was in fact January of the new year.

The end of year holidays had been quite the affair, they'd spent it at her aunt Fanny's house in Long Island, where the whole family came together.

Even her aunt Alma and Beth had flown in after Lou learned they'd spent the previous year's Christmas on a plane. It was simply outrageous, and since there was no such tournament this year around, Lou all but threatened them to come, not that either of them needed much prodding.

"What's a mistletoe for?" Beth had inquired when she, Lou, and Ellie had been in Ellie's room, the place the three of them were bunking together in.

"Tradition says you have to kiss whoever you're under a mistletoe with," Ellie explained, hugging one of the many pillows strewn across her bed to her chest.

"Why would anyone hang them, then?"

Ellie giggled, eyes bright as she looked at Beth. "Because it's fun!"

"What if you're stuck under one with a relative?"

"It never specifies the type of kiss," Lou explained. "A peck of the cheek is fine. But it's mostly used to matchmake couples, it's how uncle Pietro and aunt Ada first kissed."

"Really?" Ellie asked, wide-eyed.

"Well, I don't know if it was the first, but Nonna knew Ada from when she commissioned a dress at the shop, and after a few setup dates, invited her to Christmas dinner." Both Ellie and Beth were listening attentively to the story. "I rememberer aunt Flora squealing and snapping a picture of them under the mistletoe, which hadn't been over them when they began talking in that corner."

Ellie looked delighted, and Beth a mixture of surprised and amused.

"Is that why Aunt Giulia hates them? And why Nonna keeps inviting gentlemen over for Christmas?"

"Probably."

"Have either of you ever been kissed?" Ellie asked.

Beth seemed a bit taken aback by the question, and it took a moment before she shook her head.

Ellie placed a hand on her knee and gave it a pat, making Beth look at her. "Me neither. The question was mostly to get Lou to spill whatever she's been hiding."

Lou almost fell off the bed at her words. "What are you on about?"

"You seem different! And I thought maybe it was a boy," Ellie explained with a grin. "You spend most of your time at university, I thought maybe you met someone."

"I haven't!" Lou had met people, of course, but certainly not in the sense Ellie seemed to be implying. "I'm as single as they come."

She leaned forward, a twinkle in her eyes and a sly smile. "So, you mean you haven't been kissed?"

"Didn't say that." Lou closed her eyes and sighed, wondering when Ellie had grown up so much that this was the topic of conversation. "I had a boyfriend in my first year in Cincinnati."

"Really? Why did you two break up?" Ellie questioned, and while Beth was silent, she was keenly paying attention.

"Sometimes, boys want more than you're willing to give," Lou told them, not wanting to go outright and say it.

"You mean sex," Beth said bluntly, and Ellie chuckled.

Lou felt her cheeks redden, she'd been apparently trying to keep the girls innocent to something they were already aware of, way to look like a fool.

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Lou said. "If you're ever with someone that pressures you into it, kick their family jewels, and run like the Devil's chasing you."

Ellie was amused by her advice, while Beth looked like she was storing the information for future reference.

"So there isn't anyone you're interested in?" Ellie prodded again, and Lou took a second to think about it, and when only one face came to mind, she shook her head.

"No, but you two will be the first to know when there is."

That week of festivities had brought Ellie and Beth as close as Lou once imagined they could be, and no one was happier about that than Lou herself.

She knew from her aunt Alma that Beth didn't have any girlfriends back at Lexington, and as much as chess friends were good and all, there was only so much you could talk about with guys. They could be right obtuse sometimes.

The new year also brought a phone call, one that Lou hadn't expected, from her Aunt Alma. 

"I wanted to know if you have anything special planned for your birthday," her aunt had asked her, her tone telling Lou she was hiding something.

"Hm, not really. I mean, I'll have dinner at Nonna's house with everyone, like every year," Lou responded, twirling the telephone cord around her index finger.

"So, you'd be free to join me and Beth in Las Vegas for the US Open?"

Lou gaped, unsure if she heard correctly. "Pardon me?"

"Do you want to come with us to Las Vegas? We could celebrate your birthday in a special way, and Beth would like you to see her play."

Lou didn't know what to say, so after a few moments, her aunt called her name.

"Yes! I would love to, Aunt Alma."

"Wonderful! It's four days of games, but we'll be arriving two days earlier, as to spend your day there and not on a plane or jet-lagged. It's also best for Beth in terms of playing, some time to relax," Alma said, and Lou could hear the smile on her face.

"Thank you, for inviting me," Lou said softly.

"Oh, no need to thank me! I haven't spent a birthday with you in so long, and since it coincides with a trip, it's a perfect opportunity."

"Even then, thank you."

"It's my pleasure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two things that make me want to tear my hair off: one, we have no month for the us open, only a year and that's before June. two, how long is it??
> 
> I searched previous opens from that time and at one point it took two weeks, another nine days, so since it doesn't look like that long in tqg, I came up with a number, sorry if it's completely wrong
> 
> well, anyways, this chapter lacks one benny watts, but i hope it was still entertaining, and don't worry, next chapter will make up for his absence ;)


	7. chapter six

**LAS VEGAS WAS** warm, especially in comparison to New York.

The warm weather was a nice change from the bone-chilling cold, and Lou reveled in wearing a dress without the need for woolen tights.

The day was her twenty-third birthday, exactly two days before Beth's matches in the US Open began. Most of the competitors were arriving that day or the next, while they'd arrived the previous evening.

Lou woke up without an alarm, having no need to be up early, and a glance at the clock showed it was almost nine am. She closed her eyes once more and burrowed herself deeper in the covers, a supposedly brief rest that turned into a half-hour.

The second time her eyes opened, she felt none of the heaviness from before, and Lou sat up in her bed to stretch her arms above her head, letting out a hum of satisfaction when she heard her back pop.

Lou leaned over the bedside table to reach the hotel telephone, grabbing it to place it in the bed and dialed the room number of her aunt and cousin. She'd gotten a separate one for a lack of available three-person suites in the hotel, but Lou wasn't bothered by it, she knew of Beth's habit of late-night revision of games, and she couldn't sleep with any lights one.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hey Beth, I'm up, do you want to get some breakfast?"

" _Lou! Happy birthday_ ," Beth told her, and Lou smiled.

"Thank you. I'd rather receive a hug though, so, meet me in the restaurant in twenty minutes?"

" _Sure, I'll just wake up my mom and get ready,_ " Beth replied, and a quick _see you soon_ later they'd hung up.

Lou had brought some of her favorite dresses, if only because they'd spent months hidden away in her closet and she was looking forward to wearing them again. She picked a lovely pale yellow one, it was tight in the bodice, a thin white belt marking the waist, where the skirt flared until it reached just past her knees. It also had embroidered flowers in green and white in the hem and short sleeves. Pairing it up with white flats, she did her hair in a simple half-up style and added a touch of makeup, something on her lashes, and something on her lips, to give her a less of 'just woke up' look.

Lou was ahead of schedule, in part because she had built her outfit in her head the day before, so she leisurely made her way to the elevator, a book in hand.

She'd been told multiple times that walking and reading was a recipe for disaster, but Lou couldn't give up the habit. She did her best to be aware of stairs and never read when outside just in case she got hit by a car, but that did little to spare other people walking along with her, or in her direction. Lou was of the mind it wasn't _only_ her fault since anyone could see she had eyes glued in a book, but the fault did reside mostly with her.

Lou almost dropped her book when she collided with someone in the corridor, but the focus on keeping the object in her hands made her lose her balance, and she almost fell to the floor. Almost, because hands secured her by her arms firmly, stabilizing her.

"Woah, steady there," the person that both caused and prevented her imbalance spoke. Lou looked up to find a familiar face, that of the current US Champion. "Lou?"

"Benny Watts," she said, a smile finding a place on her face before it fell and she frowned. "You should look where you're going."

Benny raised an eyebrow. " _I_ should look where I'm going?"

Lou pursed her lips and nodded. "Didn't you see me?"

"I was busy looking for my room," he told her, something akin to disbelief in his eyes. "Didn't _you_ see _me_?"

Lou knew she was grasping for straws here, so she sighed. "No, too distracted. I'm sorry."

Benny seemed surprised by her quick backtracking. "It's fine, I was distracted too. Forgive and forget?"

Lou realized he'd still been holding her by the arms when she felt them release her, and Benny extended a hand toward her for her to shake.

"Forgive and forget."

She placed her hand on his, this being the third time she'd done so since she met him. This one was also the longest.

"You're here to cheer on your cousin?" He asked, and Lou nodded.

"I wanted to see her steal your title. I take it your playing as well, or is it beneath you?"

"Oh, I'm playing. And Harmon will have a hard time stealing my title, that I can assure you."

Lou could see it in his eyes he wasn't just putting up a front, he truly believed he would win.

"Don't underestimate Beth, that will be your downfall."

"I'm not, trust me. She's a great player, but she won't be winning anything without breaking a sweat this time around," Benny told her.

"Well, I have complete faith in her," Lou said, and Benny gave her a grin.

"I can see that."

Lou stole a glance at her wristwatch and realized she now had only five minutes to spare. "I have to go, but it was nice running into you," she said, and then realized her words. "I mean, seeing you. Not literally running into you. That wasn't great."

Benny chuckled. "Same here. You'll be staying the whole tournament?" At her affirmation, he nodded. "See you around then."

With a wink, he was off, entering the room just two doors down from Lou's. She quickly made her way downstairs, now right on time, almost late.

**_°°°_ **

The rest of the day had been lovely, starting with a massage session at the hotel's spa, followed by a manicure and pedicure, which Lou did along with her aunt and cousin. It was a wonderful way to spend time with them and have a nice relaxing day, which was all one could want on their birthday.

Following lunch, Lou and Beth went to the pool, where they'd spent a great deal of time in the water, at one point initiating a splashing war with each other, that ended with them exhausted and having some ice team in the lounging chairs by the pool.

Lou had taken off her cap, the feeling of it uncomfortable now that her hair was wet, and she was getting some much-needed sun, while Beth rested in the shade, fearful of becoming something resembling a tomato.

"At what time do your games begin?"

"Morning, at eight. I have two games before lunch, and two after," Beth replied in between scoops of ice cream.

"That sounds tiring."

Beth shrugged. "I'm used to it. And they start dwindling down as time goes, the day of the final is only one game."

Lou scrapped the bottom of her bowl, the ice cream practically a liquid at this point. "Who do you think you'll be playing against in the finals?"

"Benny Watts."

Lou smiled at her confidence, it seemed both of them were sure of facing each other.

"And do you think you can win?"

Beth smiled. "Oh, I'm confident I can."

Her evening ended with a nice dinner in town, in a five start restaurant her aunt had scoured guide books to find. Lou had enjoyed a cheesecake for dessert, with a candle and a wish.

They didn't stay too late out, getting back around eleven, and both Beth and Lou were yawning, the tiredness from the full day and the swimming getting to them. Lou said goodbye to them as they got out two floors before her, and Lou leaned into the wall of the elevator, not enough strength to hold herself upright.

Her heels were in her hand, and the carpeted floor felt like clouds under her feet.

She stopped in front of her door, searching for her room key that was somewhere inside her purse when she heard a throat cleared.

"Fun night out?" Benny asked her, having just come out of his room.

"Very much so," Lou replied, looking back to her purse and suppressing a groan at her inability to find her key.

"Did you lose your key?"

Lou shook her head. "I didn't lose it, I just can't find it."

She didn't have to look at him to know the look that was probably on his face. "I'd say that's two different ways of saying the same thing."

Lou sighed and leaned against the wall by her door. "They're not lost, they're in my purse. I just can't find them inside the purse."

"It's not a big purse," Benny said, approaching Lou, and holding out his hand. "I'll see if I can find it."

Feed up at this point, she gave him the pursed, and when he looked inside she giggled at the sight of his wide eyes.

"Why so many compartments?" He asked incredulously.

"Don't know, to be practical, I guess?"

"Well, I think it's just confusing."

Benny searched for a bit, before looking at the zipper on the outside, and undoing it, reaching inside and producing her room key. He gave her a triumphant grin. "Here you go."

Lou smiled in relief, she did not want to go to the reception to ask for another copy, nor pay the fee for losing it. "Thank you. I forgot I put them there." Being tired could cloud the mind as much as alcohol if one was tired enough, and Lou certainly was.

"Clearly," Benny replied, way too amused for Lou's tastes.

"No making fun of me today, it's my birthday, I get a free pass for stupidity."

Benny raised an eyebrow. "It's your birthday?"

Lou nodded.

"Well, happy birthday darlin'."

Lou felt her cheeks burn, and she looked away from Benny, putting her key inside her door's lock to avoid having to make eye contact. "Thank you."

"We should celebrate," he told her, the suggestion startling her enough that she stopped before turning the key, and looked at him.

"I already did."

He placed a hand upon his heart. "And you didn't invite me?"

Lou tilted her head. "No?"

Benny chuckled, and Lou realized it was a joke, a little too late. She got really dumb when she wanted to sleep.

"Still, we should do something." He looked at her room number and nodded to himself. "I'll give you a call."

Lou was too tired to stop him when he turned and walked away before she could say anything, and simply entered her room.

She could always hang up when he called.

Lou had enough time to throw her heels and purse into an armchair, and take off her dress before falling asleep on top of the covers, a smile on her face as the day's events replayed in her sleep-addled mind, an arrogant chess player with a cowboy hat slipping his way into her dreams.

**°°°**

Louwoke up to the ringing of a telephone.

The late-night promise of one Benny Watts came forefront into her mind and she groaned into her pillow.

Rubbing on her eyes to try and make the sleepiness go away, Lou answered the phone.

"What is it?" Her voice came out huskier than normal, but the tiredness of her sentence was not lost.

" _Lou?_ " It was Beth, and that revelation made Lou relax into her mattress. " _Sorry for waking you_."

"It's alright, I needed to get up anyway."

" _It's still early actually_." Lou glanced at the clock to see it was eight am, and while that wasn't exactly early, for someone who didn't have anywhere to be, it was unnecessary. " _I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go shopping with me today?_ "

"Oh, yeah, sure."

" _It can be after lunch, give you some more time to sleep._ "

"You're an angel, Beth," Lou said, her eyes already closed.

Lou didn't wake up again until ten, and she was beginning to dread her return to the east coast, and her poor biological clock when she went back to waking up at seven am every day.

She met up with Beth for lunch and then the two of them left to go shopping, her cousin wanted something nice to wear to the final game, considering a lot of pictures would be taken and she'd like to look her best.

The boutique they were in was full of options, ranging from something you could blend in at a wedding to day-to-day clothes, and of course, all very well made. Lou didn't have the same money as Beth to spend on something like high-end clothes, most of her spare cash went right into her savings account, but she did like to buy something nice for herself here and there, keep her motivated.

"Do you prefer a dress or a skirt and blouse?" Lou asked her. "Or maybe pants?"

Beth was looking through a rack holding some very pretty dresses, but they all seemed to fancy for something like playing chess, even if it was something of this caliber.

"I think a skirt and blouse."

That made Lou go from the rack she'd been exploring to the one behind it, where a multitude of skirts were displayed.

"What do you think about this?" Beth held out a beautiful dress, a periwinkle blue color with a satin-like finish, it's silhouette being very structured on the top, with a neckline that was low enough to show the barest hint of cleavers due to its sweetheart cut, and a full skirt what Lou estimated would go to the knees.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Lou approached her to feel the fabric. "And the fabric is very nice. It's a bit formal for the tournament though, don't you think?"

Beth nodded, and held the dress in front of her, eyes analyzing it and sneaking a glance toward Lou. "It is, but I'm thinking of it for something else."

"Well, it's a very nice dress. We are here for your outfit though, so try this in for me, would you?" Lou handed her a cream skirt along with a black thin belt. "I think it'd look nice with that navy and white blouse you have."

Beth took the skirt and headed toward the dressing room, and after approval from Lou, she went to pay, both skirt and dress in hand. Beth hadn't shown Lou the dress but assured her it fit perfectly. It did look smaller than Beth's frame, but clothes sometimes were very different in a hanger compared to when they were worn.

They made their way back to the hotel afterward, Beth holding a pale pink shopping bag. Reaching the second landing, where the chess tournament would take place and where the elevators that reached the rooms were located, Beth stopped when someone called her name.

"Townes?"

Lou's eyes widened at Beth's question, mostly to do with the fact she did not imagine him to be so... Well, old. He must've been in at least in university when he played Beth, differently from what Lou had imagined given Beth's fawning. Or at least, her cousin's version of it, which was less swooning and more compliments of his playing abilities.

It was a harmless infatuation Lou hoped, every girl at one point had a crush on an unattainable person, and this was Beth's.

He seemed nice enough, a journalist for a chess magazine, and Lou could see where Beth's crush came from when Townes introduced himself to her, charming smile and all. Lou still thought him too old for Beth though.

Beth had been looking at Lou with what could only be described as a pleading gaze, and Lou took pity on her and offered to take the bag to Beth's room so she could chat about chess to her heart's content.

The smile Beth gave her was enough, and the glare she gave Townes was hopefully also enough to convey words.

Lou ended up spending a bit of time with her aunt, but she didn't have an appetite for beer, so after wrangling a promise from her aunt to go light on the them(there were already two empty bottles on the bedside table and one halfway there), Lou went up to her room.

She ended up taking a nap, something very uncharacteristic of her, but to be honest, walking around a store for clothes was more tiring than one would think.

Lou woke up to a knock on her door, and the clock showed it was almost eight pm. Lou groaned, she'd have a hard time falling asleep that night.

She opened the door, thinking it might've been Beth, only to be greeted by Benny Watts.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I was just reading," Lou decided to say, feeling a bit self-conscious about her middle of the day nap.

"Well, would you like to join me?" It was in that moment that Lou noticed his swimming attire, swim trunks and a shirt that was unbuttoned, along with a towel thrown over his shoulder.

Lou averted her gaze to his face, feeling strangely warm all of a sudden.

"Is that your idea of a celebration?"

Benny grinned. "No, I have something else in mind for that. Just don't like to swim alone, might hit my head and drown, and who'd save me?"

Lou bit her lip, she didn't have anything else to do, Beth needed to prepare for her games tomorrow, and would probably have dinner in her room, hunched over a chessboard. Given the number of beers her aunt had that afternoon, she'd likely not be up for anything either. And swimming did make a person very tired afterward.

"Alright," Lou told him and stepped aside for him to enter her room, receiving a raised brow. "Would you like to wait for me to change in the hallway?"

Benny complied and entered the room, sitting in one of the chairs by the window. He looked around the room, grabbing a book that was on the coffee table beside the chair.

"Is this in Italian too?"

Lou had started to look for her swimsuit and didn't look at him when she answered. "No, just plain English."

"Hobbit? What the hell is that?"

"It's a book," Lou answered dryly. "Quite a good one, actually."

"What is it about?" Benny asked as he inspected the cover.

"Why don't you try reading it? It's rather hard to explain without it coming across as gibberish."

Benny opened the book, and Lou went into the bathroom to change. She was glad she had shut down her aunt Giulia's idea of getting a two-piece swimsuit, and instead opted for a one-piece, but in reality, the lack of sliver of skin in her midsection did little to assuage her nerves. She'd worn it before in public, what was so different about it this time? Nothing. The answer was _nothing_.

Lou decided to forgo to cap, it was way too much of an effort to put it on, and it ended up slipping anyway.

She put a loose sundress on top of the swimsuit, not wanting to parade around the hotel like that, and grabbed a towel before leaving the bathroom.

Benny seemed to have taken her suggestion to heart because he was reading the book, a concentrated look on his face.

"I'm ready."

He looked up from the book, his gaze making Lou feel even more glad for the idea to put on a dress.

"Let's go then."

They made their way to the pool in comfortable silence, it was weird to Lou how they'd meet just a handful of times, and each interaction changed her view of him. Not to mention she first met him almost three years before, and somehow, the memory felt as fresh as if it had happened the previous week.

"How did you find the book?"

"It's interesting," he replied, and Lou stole a glance at him, only to find him already looking at her. "I'll be honest with you that I haven't read a book not about chess since graduating high school, but that one caught my attention."

"It's a wonderful story, especially the sequel that follows," Lou told him, a smile finding its way to her lips. "It's gaining a lot of popularity right now, even though the first one was written almost three decades ago."

"I'll have to pick up a copy to read then."

Lou bit her lip, debating with herself whether or not to offer it, before letting herself act on instinct. "You can borrow my copy."

Benny raised a brow at her. "Really? I thought you'd be someone that would hate lending a book to anyone."

"And why is that?"

He shrugged. "Just a feeling."

Lou did in fact hate lending people books, mostly because they came back with folded pages and one was even with grease stains(ew!), so the only people allowed were select members of her family(mostly Enzo). But something within her didn't mind lending Benny a book, especially if that guaranteed he'd read it. "Well, as long as you promise to be careful with it, it's fine."

"I'll take you up on that, then."

They reached the pool area, which was lit up by artificial lights, some inside the pool itself, making it all very bright even though night had already fallen. Lou was surprised that no one else chose to go for a late swim, the heat certainly allowed for it.

Benny put his towel in a chair, taking off his shirt while Lou pointedly did her best _not_ to look. She saw him run for the pool and jump in with a big splash, making water droplets fall very close to Lou's feet.

She chose the chair next to him to leave her belongings, first the towel, and then she closed her eyes and quickly took off her dress over her head, letting it fall in a pile on the chair. Lou slowly walked toward the pool where Benny had emerged from the water, his wet hair slicked back, and his eyes focused on her.

"Aren't you going to come in?"

"I am, I'm just not as fast as you are." Lou sat on the edge of the pool and put her legs inside, a shiver running up her spine. For as warm as the air was, the lack of sun made the water's temperature drop significantly.

"It's cold."

Benny swam toward her and supported his arms on the pool's edge by her side. "You just have to go in all at once, then you'll barely feel it."

Lou wasn't so sure about that, but before she could consider, Benny grabbed her by her waist and threw her in the pool, her squeal muffled when she hit the water.

It was cold, but the sensation was almost numbing when all at once. Lou quickly made her way to the surface, wiping the water from her eyes, and she glared at Benny, who was laughing.

"See? I told y—"

He didn't get to finish, because Lou jumped on his back and put all her weight into dunking his head, succeeding briefly due to his surprise, but after a moment he grabbed her waist again and pulled her under with him.

They both resurfaced after a moment, and as soon as Lou opened her eyes she splashed Benny with water, a laugh bubbling out of her when it hit him square in the face.

"Truce! Truce!" Benny exclaimed, Lou managing to splash him one more time before Benny pulled her close enough she had no room to do it again.

"It's your own fault for pulling me in," Lou said cheekily.

"You have to admit it was much better than to slowly getting in."

"Well, you didn't even let me decide!"

"The factor of surprise helps," Benny said with a smirk, and Lou pouted when she couldn't splash him again for that.

It was in that moment she noticed how close they were, Benny was still holding her by her waist, and their noses were just inches away from one another. Lou felt her breath catch, and just as she broke eye contact with Benny, she made herself disentangle from his arms and go underwater, hoping it would cool down the fire in her cheeks.

Benny's arms had tightened around her for a fraction before he let go, almost like he too had forgotten he was holding her so close.

"Race you!" Lou challenged after re-emerging, not giving Benny any time to process her words before she was off, swimming toward one end of the pool.

"That's cheating darlin'!" He shouted before swimming after her, not reaching her before she won, but demanding a rematch without foul play.


	8. chapter sevem

**LOU STAYED IN** the pool with Benny for a few hours, the two of them having a few rematches before deciding to settle on a tie.

They'd lazily swam around for a while after that, talking about nothing with only each other and the stars for company. After some time, they left the water and lounged on the chairs by the pool, and Benny used a phone installed on the closed cocktail bar to order them some food. Lou told him that was probably not allowed, but he did manage to get them food, and at the sight of the two burgers and a large portion of fries, Lou didn't argue.

"Aren't you going to be tired tomorrow? For your matches?" She'd asked him, thinking about how Beth had told her they started early, and it was probably almost eleven in the night at this point.

"Nah, swimming will make me just tired enough to sleep through the night, and I only need about six hours to properly function."

"Careful, your opponents have probably been in bed for hours now, and who knows, maybe that difference will be what causes your defeat."

Benny laughed at that, shaking his head. "They could sleep for a year and be in top form, and it wouldn't be enough to beat me."

Lou raised an eyebrow. "Cocky much?"

"Not cocky, I'm confident, and I have a reason for it."

Lou hummed, switching to lie on her side, facing him instead of the sky. She had her towel on her legs like a blanket, in part because the air was cold against her wet skin, and partly because she felt self-conscious. "I'm sure you do. You're not invincible though, no one is."

"I know that," he replied, taking a fry from their shared plate. "But I also know most of these players, and I can beat them no problem."

"Even Beth?"

Benny sighed, and it was a moment before he answered. "Harmon is different, I'm not stupid enough to underestimate her. I've seen what happens to those that do."

Lou couldn't help a smile. "She's awesome. It runs in the family."

"Isn't she adopted?" Benny asked, confused by her words.

"Yeah, but family isn't just blood," Lou answered. "It's a lot more than that."

He didn't say anything, but Lou could feel his eyes upon her.

They ended up getting back to their rooms at eleven-thirty, and after a quick shower to wash off the pool water from her skin and hair, Lou went to sleep, finding it that it avoided her, even though her limbs felt like lead, her eyes were alert.

She looked over to her bedside table, seeing her copy of The Hobbit, and remembered she forgot to give it to Benny. Well, she could do it the next day, and this way her book would have zero chance of accidentally getting wet.

**°°°**

The next day began with one of Beth's matches, Lou had been up just in time to catch her cousin for them to have breakfast together, which consisted of little else other than coffee for Beth.

It was over in two dozen moves.

Lou would say she was impressed, but she expected that type of brilliance from her cousin by now.

Next was a guy from San Francisco, who Beth played something she'd explained to Lou once upon a time, sacrificing her queen. She'd also won that one.

The two matches after lunch were also won by Beth, but there was little memorable about them, other than the fact the first guy got so red in the face when Beth cornered him with a move that Lou thought he might pass out.

"How many games do you have tomorrow?"  
Lou asked her as they made their way upstairs.

"Three, one in the morning and two in the afternoon," Beth replied. "Two the next day, and finally one in the final day."

Lou nodded as she mentally noted all of that. They both got off on Beth's floor this time, heading toward the room.

"Where's aunt Alma?"

"She had a bit of a headache this morning, so I told her to rest and go get a mud bath or something after lunch."

"How many beers did she drink?"

Beth shrugged. "A lot."

Lou pursed her lips but said nothing. That was a conversation to be had with her aunt.

"I want to give you something," Beth told her, rummaging through her suitcase as Lou sat on one of the beds.

Beth returned with a box and placed it in Lou's lap. "My birthday already passed."

"I know. But I wanted to give you something anyway."

"You don't have to, inviting me here is gift enough," Lou said, but Beth waved that away and told her to open it.

Inside the white box was a blue fabric covered by a wrapping tissue that felt soft to the touch. Lou pushed that aside and grabbed the fabric, which turned out to be a dress, that same dress Beth had bought the previous day.

Lou's jaw dropped as she took in the dress, at a loss for words.

"So? Do you like it?"

"Didn't you buy this for yourself? Lou asked slightly confused.

"No, I just pretended I did. I didn't really know what kind of clothes you liked, so I took you shopping with me, and that was what you showed the biggest positive reaction to, so I bought it," Beth explained.

Lou laughed and put the dress on the bed next to her carefully, before throwing herself forward to hug Beth. "I love it. Thank you."

Beth hugged her back, something she'd become accustomed to over the years, and now did naturally with Lou, compared to the first time they hugged when Beth had felt like a statue.

Lou let go of her cousin after a while, a smile on her face. She carefully folded the dress and put it back in the box, for her to take later to her room.

"So, I called you yesterday evening, and you didn't answer," Beth commented.

"I was probably asleep."

"At nine pm?"

Lou shrugged. " I was tired."

Beth narrowed her eyes at her. "You're a terrible liar, did you know that?"

Lou gasped exaggeratedly. "Beth! How dare you? I'm a great liar."

Beth gave her an unimpressed look, and Lou sighed. "I went to the pool, I was in the mood for a late-night swim."

"Why did you lie about that?" Beth inquired with a frown. Lou didn't know what to say to that, and before she could think of something, Beth continued. "Unless you weren't alone?"

As soon as Beth asked the question, Lou knew it was a lost cause.

"Who?"

Lou gnawed on her lip nervously. "Just, someone I met."

"You're not the type to have a late-night rendezvous with someone you just met, Lou."

"I didn't just meet him," Lou replied.

She wasn't sure how Beth would take Lou's... friendship? No— friendly acquaintance, with Benny. They were rivals after all.

Beth had a confused expression on her face as she thought about it, and Lou decided the best course of action was to rip it like a band-aid.

"I went swimming with Benny Watts," Lou confessed.

Beth was taken aback and didn't say anything for a moment, before turning to look at Lou with an incredulous expression.

" _Benny Watts_?"

Lou nodded, her lips pressed tightly together.

"How did that even happen?"

She didn't look mad, just flabbergasted, which Lou supposed was the better option.

"We met back in Cincinnati, that first day of the tournament. Right after he talked to you, do you remember that?" Beth nodded. "Well, actually, he'd gone to the diner the day before, but I don't really count that because I had to be polite since I was on the clock."

"And he remembered you from then?"

"Yes," Lou said. "But he went to the diner again, after the tournament, just before closing. I made him pasta and he walked me home."

If Beth looked at a loss for words before, now she looked positively perplexed.

"You made Benny Watts pasta?" Lou nodded, suppressing her amusement at Beth's tone. "And he walked you home?" Lou nodded again. " _Huh_."

"Is it weird?"

"Why would it be weird?"

"You two are opponents, technically speaking."

Beth chuckled. "It's not like you can spy on either of us for the other, first, because you wouldn't. Second, because you confuse the names of opening and plays all the time."

Lou pouted. "I could be a spy if I wanted!"

"You'd be a good spy for the person you're spying on, because you'd end up giving all the wrong information by accident," Beth said, voice full of mirth.

"I can't believe my baby cousin is making fun of me! You've spent too much time with Enzo, he's a bad influence."

Beth laughed, and Lou could only keep her facade for so long before she joined her.

"But, seriously, Lou," Beth told her after they'd calmed down. "I don't mind you being friends with Benny."

"I wouldn't say we're friends per se," Lou replied. "More like friendly acquaintances."

"Well, whatever it is, don't worry about me." Beth gave her an indecipherable look. "But do worry about yourself."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "What I know of Benny Watts paints a very arrogant picture."

Lou chuckled. "Oh, I know that. I'm aware of the type of person Benny is."

And Lou was, perhaps, even more aware than Beth. She knew that Benny thought a lot of himself and that he was an individualist. All chess players were. He could be arrogant, but it steamed from being the best and having that position practically uncontested. The things that Lou knew though, painted a picture that made him look more like a person, one that presented a very specific facet to the chess world. He could also be funny, caring, and even considerate. Of course, Benny Watts had an uncanny ability to get under Lou's nerves, but that might speak more of her than him.

"Speaking of all of this though, what happened after I left you and Townes?"

Beth deviated her gaze from Lou, looking down at her bed's quilt, and Lou felt something churn in her stomach.

"He asked to do an article on me for the paper, and we went to his room for him to take some photos."

Lou felt her skin drained of all its color.

"Beth, did something happen?" She hated having to ask this, that it could even _be_ a possibility. Lou should've never left.

Beth must've heard her tone, and quickly looked back at Lou's, shaking her head as she took in her expression.

"Nothing happened!"

Lou wasn't assured of that completely, of course, but she felt her body relax. "Then why do you have that look in your eyes?"

Beth let out a sigh, running a hand through her short ginger locks.

"He took some photos of me. There was a board in his bed, and I sat on the foot of it for the photos, and he started to get closer with each one," Beth recounted. "At one point he touched my hair, and looked about to kiss me..."

"When you slapped him hard?" Lou finished when Beth trailed off and didn't say anything.

Beth shook her head.

"When his... friend, Roger, entered the room and interrupted." Lou tilted her head at that. Beth was sullen because of an interrupted kiss. It made a bit of sense, she supposed, it would've been Beth's first, and to have it ruined must've sucked. "It was a room with a single bed, which they were sharing."

Oh, _that_ was why Beth was sullen.

"I see," Lou said, not exactly sure how to console her cousin when the object of her affections seemed to already be in a relationship, and one Beth could not compete at all with.

It didn't help she was inwardly seething about that man ever hinting at making a move on her underage cousin. But Lou wasn't about to go off in front of Beth, not when she was dealing with what Lou could only guess to be her first heartbreak.

"Why would he do all that if he's already with someone?"

Lou moved to sit in the other bed by Beth's side. "I don't know, honey. But what I do know is that you deserve better than to be treated like that."

Beth had her lips pursed, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Lou placed an arm around her shoulders and rested her head against Beth's.

"I thought he liked me," she murmured, voice so soft that had they not been so close, Lou would've never heard it.

Lou wanted nothing more at that moment than to wack Townes over the head with a bat, both for the almost kiss and the disillusion that his leading Beth on caused, but she concentrated on Beth.

She didn't have the words to make it all better, but she could be someone for Beth to lean on. 

**°°°**

**BENNY WATTS HAD** been to his fair share of tournaments in his life.

He had in fact even been to Las Vegas for some before, the location being rather popular for hosting the competitions.

But he'd never spent so much time during one not talking about chess.

Benny remembered like it'd been yesterday the day he met Lou Benson, the waitress that was clueless as to who he was. Benny wasn't used to that, which he could admit had a bit to do with the fact he rarely socialized outside of things related to chess.

He didn't think he'd see her again, but he did, and she just happened to be the cousin of an up-and-coming chess prodigy Benny would most likely end up playing one day.

That interaction in the Cincinnati tournament intrigued him enough that he ended up back at that diner, unfortunately too late to catch the person on his mind, but to his surprise, she was there. The only one there, in fact.

He'd wondered about how different she'd been when dealing with him as a customer versus when she pretty much threatened him if he so much thought about making advances on her cousin, assuming it had to do with her being on the job.

Meeting Lou that night made him realize it had more to do with social norms, and she wouldn't be caught dead being rude in a public setting, but when it was just the two of them, she had no inhibitions.

She asked about chess, completely lost about it even though she went to see her cousin play, and it was rather endearing. Benny wasn't used to being able to teach people things, not like that. He was usually just using his knowledge to undermine other people's arguments about matches or strategies, but he never actually told people things that were completely new to them. It had felt nice, he'd felt... important.

He can still recall the face she'd made when he told her he'd be having a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, from her expression you'd think he'd told her he liked to kick puppies and steal from babies in his spare time.

She didn't hesitate to cook something, surprising him when she sat down next to him to eat. He hadn't expected to get company, and it had been a long time since he ate with someone. And good food too, a stark difference to his takeouts and rudimentary cooking skills.

Walking her home hadn't been in his plans, not until he realized it was late and she'd be walking alone, a young pretty girl, in a short dress, with the streets mostly empty. Benny was by no means a knight in shining armor, hell, he didn't even consider himself that good of a person, but he couldn't bring himself to leave without making sure she'd be alright.

The way that night ended, a kiss on the cheek, was something Benny remembered every now and then.

It made him feel pathetic, he'd had wilder nights that barely gained a second of recollection from him after the fact, but that simple action of her lips on his face surged up in his mind at random times during the years.

Seeing her again, at the US Open, had been a pleasant surprise.

He couldn't bring himself to walk away when he saw her walking to her room, shoes in hand, and slightly out of balance. Benny had thought her drunk before approaching, but the lack of alcohol smell alerted him to the fact she was simply falling asleep where she stood.

Lou let it slip that it was her birthday, and Benny found himself suggesting they do something together to celebrate. He was often bored during the tournaments, there was only so much time a person could spend reading over games and plays before they needed a break, and taking her out sounded like a nicer option then entertaining a gaggle of chess players in the bar of the hotel by playing speed chess or discussing the day's matches.

Benny didn't know what came over him when he decided to knock on her door before going swimming. He hadn't planned to invite her, but before he registered his actions he was knocking on her door.

He thought she'd decline, he could see her bed head hair and the slight puffiness of her eyes, even though she told him she'd been awake. But Lou said yes.

He'd even read the first book(well, the first few pages of a book) that wasn't about chess in years while he waited for her, and later found himself agreeing to read it.

Benny was no saint, and he could admit to less than pure thoughts at the sight of Lou in a swimsuit, but he did his best to ban those from his mind and the best way to do that was making her get inside the water.

Holding her close hadn't been part of the plan(all of his plans seemed to be failures when it came to her), nor was the reluctance to let her go.

Benny didn't know why, but he liked speaking about things other than chess, as long as it was with Lou.

**°°°**

Benny had an adjournment to play, his last game of the previous day had ventured into the evening, and so they'd agreed to continue the next morning.

That had also meant Benny hadn't seen Lou save from briefly while she stood by Harmon's games, acting as silent support. The two had been long gone by the time Benny's match was adjourned.

Today he hadn't seen Lou, but he did spot her cousin by the bar. 

"You're Beth Harmon."

She glanced at him. "Yes."

"I saw the piece in Life," he told her. He had been curious about her, Lou spoke as if her abilities were unquestionable, and he had read some of her games. "Game they printed, that was a pretty one. The one with you and Beltik."

"Thank you."

"I'm, uh, Benny Watts."

"I know," she said, unsurprisingly. Everyone knew who Benny was if they were in a chess tournament. Well, almost everyone. "We met a couple of years ago in Cincinnati. Didn't meet, but we spoke." Benny's memory of that was clouded by the interaction that came next, but he did remember something about Caro-Kann, and it was impossible to forget Lou's thinly veiled threats. "And you're friends with my cousin."

So, Lou had told Harmon about him? For some reason, Benny hadn't thought she would, but he found himself pleased she had.

"Lou talks a lot about you," Benny said, and then frowned, thinking about how that might be interpreted. "How you're a good player and are probably going to beat me."

She smiled at his words. "She's right," Harmon said, before turning and leaving the bar. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Benny couldn't help himself, the error he'd found in the game but had yet to discuss with anyone. "You shouldn't have castled." She turned on her heels, a stunned look on her face. "In your game with Beltik."

"I needed to get the rook out." He'd heard that tone before, the self-righteous one that despised any hint of a mistake in a game. Benny had used it himself plenty back when he had begun his career, before any losses or draws.

"Well, you could've lost your advantage."

The look on her face was almost murderous, and Benny wondered if anyone had ever found an error in a game of hers before. He'd take an educated guess and say no.

"I don't think so."

Benny replayed the move in his head, gesturing vaguely as he spoke. "He plays pawn-take-pawn. You can't take it back."

He turned to leave, his adjournment was about to start soon, when she called for him to wait.

"I can't, I got an adjournment I gotta play. But set it up, think it out. Your problem is your queen knight."

He was certain now that Harmon had never had anyone analyze a game of hers and find anything wrong, or at least, no one had ever said anything to her.

"I don't want to set it up and think it out." Her words were clipped, almost like she was clenching her jaw, and Benny smirked at how wind up she was.

He decided to leave it at that, he didn't want to cause the girl to attack him, like she looked prone to do, or disconcert her too much for their eventual match the day after tomorrow. There was no fun in playing with an opponent who wasn't at their best.

But Benny knew he had given her something to think about.

It was after his adjournment, which ended up with him as the winner, that Benny had some time for himself, only one more game in the afternoon and the day was over. He'd been lounging in the reception, a group of people around him as he talked about his soon to be released book when he spotted Lou in the distance.

She was walking up the stairs to the second floor and hadn't noticed him. When she reached the landing, Lou turned and their eyes met.

He couldn't tell for sure, but was rather certain there was a smile on her face. Benny cut the conversation short, telling the people around him he had somewhere to be, and gave a non-committal agreement that they'd continue this later.

Benny made his way up the stairs, a balance between walking the steps fast but not tripping, and reached Lou.

"Hey there. Busy day?"

"Just an adjournment," he told her, and the two of them began walking to wherever Lou was heading.

"Did you win?"

Benny grinned, a glance her way. "Of course."

"So, what does that make your score so far?"

"Just wins, except for one draw."

Lou raised a brow. "So, not just wins." He gave her a look, and she laughed. "Beth has _only_ wins." Her tone was smug, and she had a sly smile on her lips.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know that. But I won't lose a game this tournament, she might."

"Keyword there, _might_." Lou pointed a finger at him. "The expression you use is important you know."

He didn't want to talk about chess with her, not just because she was throwing the fact Harmon was winning so far. "Do you have anything planned for tonight?"

Lou shook her head. "No, just a book and the comfort of my bed. Why?"

The image of Lou in a bed certainly was something, but Benny pushed the thought away. "I was thinking we could grab some dinner, celebrate your birthday."

"That was two days ago."

"Doesn't matter, it's close enough."

She bit her bottom lip, thinking about it. Benny didn't say anything for the few seconds she was silent, it was probable that if he did, she might change her mind. "Alright. What time?"

"I'll be at your door at eight."

Lou nodded. "Where are we going?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

She looked at him with a stunned expression, which quickly turned to a frown. "Oh c'mon, that's not fair."

Benny couldn't help a chuckle at her tone. "It's a surprise."

Lou didn't look too happy with that, but let the matter drop. She seemed to remember something and rummaged through her bag, this one a bit bigger than the one she had been using the night he helped her find her keys. She found what she was looking for, and with a triumphant smile handed it to him.

"Here. My copy of The Hobbit."

Benny almost thought she'd forgotten about that. He took the book in his hands, noticing the slightly worn edges. "Thank you."

She pointed her finger at him and gave him a pointed look. "Take good care of it, ok? Any dog ears in my book and I'll do the same to your ears." Benny couldn't help the amused smile that surged at the mental image, she'd have a hard time even reaching his ears to act on her threat.

"Scout's honor, I'll handle it with care."

Lou raised an eyebrow. "Were you ever a Boy Scout?"

"No, but the sentiment is there."

She let out a soft huff. "That doesn't count."

"Then I promise on my chess set."

"Your chess set?"

Benny nodded, and Lou narrowed her eyes at him, gauging his sincerity before she smiled. "Alright then."

After they parted ways, Benny on his way to his second match of the day, and Lou to go watch her cousin's, Benny made a quick detour to his room, placing the book on his bedside table, not wanting to risk losing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, the whole Townes thing, a lot of people's take(and my own) is that Townes is gay, but was confused by the fact he was so fascinated by Beth.   
> her being upset with him when Roger came in made sense for me bc she thought there was something between him and her, and the reaction I think would've been pretty similar as if a woman had come in the room, since in my opinion it was more stemmed from Beth's feeling of rejection than Townes being involved with a man
> 
> anyhow, a bit of a Benny POV this chapter! it'll happen from time to time, just to give some insight. Hopefully, I didn't do too terrible a job of capturing his character, but please tell me anything you think I can improve on!


	9. chapter eight

**LOU WASN'T NERVOUS** at all, she just didn't know what to wear.

She hadn't brought a lot of dresses for going out, she had planned the one she wore for her _actual_ birthday celebration with care, and it didn't feel right to wear it again.

She also didn't know what to do with her hair, but that was a problem for later.

Was she overthinking this? Probably.

Chances were, Benny would show up with the exact same outfit he wore during the day, because of course he would.

Lou sat on her bed with a huff, body wrapped in a towel and hair up in a bun, and let herself fall back into the mattress.

This was stupid. It wasn't a date, she had absolutely no reason to treat it as such.

Her gaze fell on the box on the coffee table, the one that held the pretty dress Beth bought for her. For a moment Lou thought about wearing that, but not a moment later wrinkled her nose and shook the thought out of her head.

That was a date dress. Not a belated-birthday-celebration-with-a-pseudo-friend dress.

Lou, after a few more moments of contemplation, decided a simple black dress was enough. She'd brought it in case of something happening to the dress she'd wear to her birthday dinner, so it might as well be her choice for this.

She did a quick makeup look, just some eyeliner and mascara along with a lipstick that was almost a match for her lip color, and put her hair up in a low bun, not having the patience to style it.

By the time a knock sounded on her door, Lou only had to put in her heels, which she did quickly before answering the door.

Benny had changed clothes, but stayed in the same style of black pants and a leather trench coat, with the difference of a green shirt instead of a plain black tee like he'd worn during the day. The hat was absent, creating a rather considerate difference.

"Ready?" He'd looked her up and down, nor at all subtly, and Lou felt proud herself in not becoming affected by it.

She nodded and grabbed her purse, closing the door and following Benny.

"So, where are we going?"

"That's a surprise."

Lou pouted, she didn't like surprises. Well, actually, she did, but she always got ridiculously curious if she knew about them beforehand. Christmas with her was always a gift hunt the weeks leading up to it, and her family has become increasingly creative over the years with their hiding spots.

"Where's the hat?"

Benny raised an eyebrow. "It's not attached to my head, you know."

She shrugged. "Might as well be, I've seen you more with it than without."

"Well, next time I'll just bring it can you can wear it then."

Lou decided not to take the 'next time' as anything more than it was. "The reject cowboy look doesn't suit everyone, Benny."

"So... you're saying I look good?"

Lou huffed. "Didn't say that."

His eyes flashed with amusement. "In a roundabout way you did."

"That's selective hearing you know," she replied.

They got to the reception of the hotel, and a cab was waiting for them.

Lou was a bit in awe of the city lights, it was different from New York, where it was buildings that reached high up in the sky, so far you sometimes had trouble seeing the top in the cold winter mist-filled days. Here it was all warm and fun lights at every corner, with huge outdoors advertising casinos and hotels.

They eventually stopped at one of the less attention-grabbing places, although it still held a bright sign on the outside. The place was marketed as a casino and entertainment venue, which made Lou a bit nervous. Showgirls were usually the entertainment in such places, but Benny wouldn't possibly take her to something like that, would he?

The inside showed a simple entry hallway, with a doorway leading to the casino.

"A casino? That's your surprise?" Lou inquired.

Benny smirked. "Just wait."

He walked up to the person behind the reception and spoke with the man in low voices, before receiving a nod. The receptionist gestured to another employee, who then guided Benny and Lou inside the casino, but instead of toward the tables of games, into an arch that led to some stairs.

Lou was growing apprehensive, but Benny seemed at ease. He noticed her nervousness, and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You'll see in a moment."

The downstairs part of the place was different from what Lou expected. It resembled a speakeasy, and it might've been once during the time such things were prominent, but now it simply held a Prohibition-era style, with leather booths and wooden tables, walls with decorated wallpaper, as well as more low lighting and candles on each table, differently from the blinding and colorful lights of the casino upstairs. There was also a bar, with a wood countertop, and a variety of liquors behind it.

Many of the tables were occupied, mostly groups of four or five people, some couples, and the eventual person by themselves.

She and Benny were guided to one table, a booth in one of the corners, and after the employee left them with a menu each, Lou stared at Benny, surprise coloring her features.

"So?" He asked with a smirk.

"Alright, this is pretty nice," Lou admitted.

"See? It was worth keeping it from you."

"I wouldn't say that," Lou argued. "Telling me would've taken away any anxiety about the whole thing, and sated my curiosity."

"But that's part of the fun."

There was a small stage opposite the bar, where a couple of people were setting a microphone and some instruments. "Is there going to be a performance?"

Benny nodded. "Every place in Las Vegas has been adhering to live music since the success of hosting some popular performers."

"I hear Sinatra had a show in that fancy hotel, with a Roman name, I think?"

"Caesar's Palace. This is not that by any means, and the people who perform here aren't quite as popular," Benny told her. "But they're pretty good too."

"How did you learn about this place?"

"During one of my tournaments a few people came here to play in the casino, and I ended up meeting the person in charge of this whole thing." Benny gestured to the tables around them. "Turns out he's a chess fan, and we hit it off."

Lou hummed as she glanced around the place, noticing how as people came in, not a single spot was available. "And how did you get a table on such short notice?"

"Guy owed me a favor," Benny answered.

Lou's lips parted, but no words came out. He'd called in a favor to take her out? That was... surprisingly sweet.

They ordered their food, along with drinks, and waited for the show to begin, pleasant ambiance music being played while that did not occur.

"Have you played many tournaments here in Vegas?"

"This will be the fifth one I play here," he told her.

"You've been playing for a while, right?"

"Since I was eight." He smiled reminiscently. "And I've been in tournaments since I was ten."

Lou's eyebrows rose. "So, for about twenty years?"

He chuckled. "Is that a sneaky way to find out how old I am? You can just ask me, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "I'd just ask you upfront if I wanted to know. I always found being secretive about age a little silly, unless you're trying to use a fake identity."

"I'm twenty-six," Benny told her. "Since you're not uncomfortable sharing, what birthday exactly are we celebrating?"

"My twenty-third," Lou answered.

At that moment, the waitress returned with their drinks, a glass of white wine for Lou, and a beer for Benny, along with a reassurance that the food wouldn't be long.

"Cheers to that," Benny said, holding his beer out for her to clink her glass against.

"Cheers."

Lou wasn't much of a drinker, but certain occasions called for it. As long as she didn't drink anything stronger than wine, she'd be fine.

"How was it? Growing up as a prodigy?" Lou asked, her curiosity too strong to suppress.

Benny shrugged. "It was normal for me. We'd travel all around for me to play, sometimes in tournaments, sometimes specifically against someone, or someones. Everyone is fascinated with a child that can beat adults at something to do with intellect."

Lou frowned. "With all that traveling around, did you ever get to be a kid?"

Benny was confounded by her question. "I was a kid."

"I know that. What I mean is, did you ever get to just _be_ a kid?"

"That's the same question."

Lou couldn't help a laugh. "It's the emphasis that matters Benny. When did you just play? No responsibilities or pressure of being the best? How did you find time for school, friends your age?"

He seems to understand what she meant with her explanation. "I was homeschooled. And playing chess was my fun, you know?" Benny shrugged. "It was all I knew, and you can't really miss something you don't know."

Lou bit her lip, trying to curb any sympathy. It wasn't up to her to determine the validity of his childhood just because it didn't resemble her idea of what a child should be like. "Were you happy, at least?"

Benny smiled. "Yeah, chess made me happy. And my mother was my teacher, so school was always fun."

She couldn't help a smile. "Then that's all that matters."

He looked at her with something she couldn't name, before taking a sip out of his beer. "What about you? How was your childhood?"

"Pretty normal, I'd guess."

"Did you grown up in Lexington?"

Lou shook her head. "Cincinnati, my dad was from there. Aunt Alma moved to Lexington after she got married."

"And you're still living there?"

"No, I moved to New York City after graduating."

Benny raised a brow. "You're living in New York?"

"Yeah, technically I've lived there before. My mother's side of the family all live there, so it was a no brainer to move there."

"We have to meet up then," Benny said.

Lou bit her lip, a little surprised he'd want to meet with her back home. But she nodded. "I'll give you my number later."

"I'll be sure to remind you." Lou drank from her glass, adverting her gaze from Benny. "And what does an English major do for a living?"

"I'm still studying, actually. Getting my master's."

"And what are your plans for after that?"

Lou tilted her head, not sure. Planning wasn't her forte, after all. "No clue. I can go into teaching, with my credentials at a college level, or maybe a more of a research field."

"What about writing? That seems like the most obvious choice."

"Writing a book has little to do with an actual degree, you know. Many famous authors have graduated in fields that have nothing to do with literature," Lou explained. "It's a hard market, especially for women."

"I'm writing a book," he told her, making her eyebrows raise. "A chess book."

"Oh, that makes sense, actually."

Benny laughed. "It's not much in the terms of story, it's just my takes on chess openings and popular plays, giving some advice. No one outside the chess bubble would ever buy it."

"But you have an audience. That makes a publishing company want to work with you, they know it'll sell."

"I supposed you're right," he conceded. "You certainly know more about the stuff than I do." His gaze was on her, scrutinizing. "Would you want to, though?"

"Write a book?" He nodded, making Lou sigh. "I think every avid reader dreams about being a published author. I'm just not sure it's realistic."

"Well, you should do something that makes you happy."

Lou smiled at his words, her eyes holding a soft gaze as she turned them to the liquid in her glass, not wanting Benny to see her reddening cheeks, even though she was certain the low lights of the establishment made that difficult.

Their food arrived not long after, and the live performance started as they ate their dinners. It was a female singer with a lovely voice, and the tunes sung were a nice mixture between popular songs and what Lou presumed were originals. It created a nice atmosphere, while it still allowed conversation.

It was after they'd finished and were about to order dessert that the first break was taken, and just after they made their order a waitress came over with a tray holding two cocktail glasses.

"We didn't order these," Benny said.

"It's from the owner," the waitress told them. "He says to enjoy the lady's birthday with style."

Lou was a bit surprised by that, and the drinks placed in front of them were in glasses that resembled a martini glass, but the liquid held a cream color.

"They're Brady Alexander's, it's cognac mixed with cacao liquor, cream, and nutmeg."

Lou was intrigued by the mixture, and brought the drink to her lips, the taste not unlike an Irish cream liquor, but stronger. Benny tasted it as well, but from the look on his face, he did not enjoy it.

"Not to your tastes?"

Benny wrinkled his nose. "Too sweet."

"I thought you were a sweets person."

"Not in my alcohol," he responded with a grin. "I'm going to stick to my beer."

Their deserts arrived, a tiramisu for Lou and a chocolate fudge brownie for Benny, and by that time her drink had been finished, and she'd grabbed Benny's abandoned glass.

"See? With something that's supposed to be sweet, I go all out." Benny gestured to his plate, where a prettily decorated brownie sat. "While you choose the coffee one."

Lou laughed. "It's the best dessert, not too sweet, with the right amount of flavor." She used her spoon to take a piece of her tiramisu square and blissfully ate it. "Perfection."

Benny looked skeptical. "I prefer my chocolate."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Have you ever even tried it?"

"Once, and it was horrible."

"Well, I've always heard you should try something at least three times before declaring you don't like it, especially if it's been a long time." Lou scooped another piece and brought the spoon close to his mouth. "Try it."

Benny looked taken aback by her actions, staring at her for a few seconds as she held the spoon in the air, before leaning in and enveloping the spoon in his mouth.

Their eyes were locked as she took the spoon back, the pressure of his lips creating a slight resistance as it rid the utensil of its contents, leaving Benny savoring the biscuit and cream dessert.

"So?" She inquired, gaze still interlocked with his.

He licked his lips, nodding slowly. "Better than I remembered."

Lou could feel a warmth in her chest, so she occupied herself with eating her dessert, banishing any thought about how Benny had just eaten out of her spoon. She grabbed her drink and took a sip from it, the burn of the liquor doing it's best to overpower the heat within her, but in the end, failing.

**°°°**

**BENNY WASN'T SURE** if he was right in letting Lou finish his unwanted drink because as they left the casino, her face was flushed and she was holding on to his arm as to not stumble.

He could tell she wasn't a drinker, not if a glass of wine and two cocktails did this to her.

She'd not done anything characteristically drunk as of yet, her speech wasn't slurred and she seemed in control of her actions, even if feeding him a piece of her desert made him question that.

It didn't seem like the type of thing that their relationship(could it even be called that? A friendship? More than an acquaintance at this point, for sure.) consisted of. It was too caring, too intimate.

Much like how he'd held her close in the pool.

Benny shook his head of that though, that had been different. It wasn't thought out, just a happenstance.

He tried not to dwell on how similar it felt to how he was holding her by the waist as they awaited a cab, her body leaning into his.

She was quiet as they made their trip back to the hotel where they were staying, and a brief glance at Lou made him see she was asleep, her head resting on the window of the car.

When they pulled over, Benny was tempted to not wake her and try to carry her, but he wasn't that confident in his strength, so he shook her shoulder slightly. "Lou, we're here."

Her bleary eyes opened to stare at him, a drop of confusion melted in them as she registered her surroundings, and Benny had to suppress a smile.

He helped her out of the cab and resumed his earlier position of holding her up, but she seemed more alert now after the brief nap and leaned less into him as they walked into the hotel.

"I had fun tonight," she felt him when they entered the elevator.

"I'm glad."

She smiled unabashedly at him, and Benny returned the expression with a smile of his own, ignoring the feeling on his chest.

The carpeted floor muffled their steps, and Lou stopped right outside the elevator door when they got out to take off her heels, using Benny for support. "Heels and carpet are already hard when you're sober and not tired."

Benny chuckled. "Why wear heels then?"

"Because it completes the look."

He held one of her shoes in his hand as she took the other one-off, and then they continued down the hall. Lou's door came first, and Benny stopped along with her, wanting to see her get inside, and also because he was still holding one of her shoes.

"Can you find your key this time?"

"Yes." She quickly undid the outside zipper of her bag, and pridefully held up the keys to her room. "I didn't forget."

She opened the door, getting in, and just as she was about to close it, Benny spoke up.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked, making her pause in the doorway and look at him.

Benny was about to hand her the shoe, when he felt her hands on his shoulder, using them as support, and faster than he could process it, she gotten on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.

His mind short-circuited for a moment, but his body didn't delay a reaction, he bent down slightly to ease the strain on her, and the hand not holding her shoe came to wrap itself around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Her lips were soft against his, and as her hands tangled in his hair, Benny lost himself to the kiss, eyes closing and his hold on her strengthening.

But then she parted her lips, and at the first taste of her, Benny could also sense the alcohol, and that broke him out of his mind.

He pulled away quickly, still holding on to Lou, and saw her eyes slowly open, a small smile on the lips he'd been kissing a mere moment ago.

"Goodnight kiss," she said, and it clicked on Benny's mind.

"I meant your shoe," Benny murmured, and Lou blinked in realization.

"Oh."

He gave her the shoe after her arms disentangled from his neck and his from her waist, and she gingerly held it as they stared at each other.

"Goodnight then," she told him, this time no kiss to accompany it, and closed the door before Benny could say anything in return.

She was probably not herself, in fact, Benny was pretty sure she wasn't.

He shouldn't dwell on it, in fact, he should regret the fact he returned it, after all, she wasn't in her right mind.

Benny pushed any thoughts away of what might've happened had he not pulled away as he entered his room.

Lying down on his bed, he found sleep evaded him, his mind too preoccupied with the night's events, or rather, it's ending.

A glance at his bedside table made him see the book that'd been lent to him earlier that day, and since he probably wasn't about to fall asleep anytime soon, Benny might as well read some of it.

He picked up the book and continued from where he'd left off, and when he eventually fell asleep, his dreams weren't of the world he'd been reading about, but the girl who'd kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they've kissed!!  
> I've had this planned for a while now  
> there is still a lot of things to happen though, so bear with me


End file.
